John P. Dibartolo

John P. DiBartolo, 81, of Ronkonkoma, NY for 50 years, passed away on February 16, 2024 after a variety of health struggles over the last year. He spent his last days in palliative care at the Northport VA hospital with frequent visits from family and friends.
John was born on September 15, 1942 to Frank and Ida DiBartolo in Brooklyn, NY. After John graduated from East New York Vocational High School in 1960, he earned a scholarship to the Academy of Aeronautics (now the Vaughn College of Engineering and Aeronautics) but declined the offer choosing instead to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a United States Marine.
In 1965, John married Roberta Eileen (Thomas) DiBartolo and the couple had four children, John P. DiBartolo, Jr., Christine (DiBartolo) Mahon, Katie Joy (DiBartolo) Healy, and Suzanne (DiBartolo) Kayser. The couple resided initially in Queens, NY where they had their first two children before moving to Ronkonkoma in 1973.
In the Marine Corp, John trained as an aircraft mechanic, and when his service ended, he accepted a position as an aircraft mechanic with Pan American World Airways. John remained at Pan Am for 25 years before the company fell to bankruptcy. He went on to work as an aircraft maintenance planner for Atlas Air before retiring at age 62. Sadly, Roberta passed away suddenly in 2007. After ten years in retirement, John was recruited for and accepted a position at Camp Systems where he returned to aircraft maintenance planning for a few more years before resuming retirement. At each career stop along the way he accumulated more friends.
After a few years on his own following Roberta’s passing, John spent over a decade in a relationship with Diane McGuire. The couple enjoyed travel, dining out, attending movies and Broadway shows, socializing with friends, and attending the activities of their grandchildren.
At the end of his life, John returned to more solitary activities; he enjoyed bird watching, playing chess, and even took up painting near the very end as his mobility was impeded. John balanced this enjoyment of these activities with healthy doses of frustration from national politics and his fruitless hope that the Mets and Giants would return to championships in his lifetime.
John was predeceased by his parents, his lovely wife Roberta, his brother Frank, and more extended family and friends than would be appropriate to list. He is survived by his brother, Ric (wife, Donna), sister-in-law, Olga, his children, John (wife, Patty), Christine (husband, Cliff) Katie (husband, Richard), Suzanne (husband, Charles “Buddy”), and his grandchildren, John (“Jack”), Emily, Thomas, Abbey, Liam, Arya, and Nayah.
A wake will be held at Moloney’s Lake Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Lake Ronkonkoma on February 25, 2024, at 2:00pm to 4:00pm and 7:00pm to 9:00pm. A funeral service will be held at Holy Cross Church in Nesconset on February 26, 2024, at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org ) an organization about which John felt strongly.