| Date of Birth | November 25, 1953 |
| Passed Away | February 3, 2015 |
| Place of Residence | Canisteo |
| Home State | NY |
| Service Date | February 7, 2015 |
| Service Time | 10:00 AM |
| Service Location | St. Ann's Church, Hornell |
| Interment Location | St. Mary's Cemetery, Town of Fremont |
JOHN J. DESSENA
CANISTEO-John J. Dessena, 61, of Cliffside Dr., passed away late Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 3, 2015) at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, after a long illness.
Born in Hornell on Nov. 25, 1953, he was a son of John Dessena, who survives and Julia Marino Dessena, who predeceased him on April 20, 1993.
A graduate of Hornell High School, John received an associate’s degree from Alfred State College and also attended Geneseo State College and Alfred University.
For more than 37 years John was employed by the NYSDOT, retiring as a Main Office Reviewer for Real Estate; he also owned and operated Finger Lakes Appraisal.
He was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and was a communicant of St. Ann’s Church in Hornell. At one time John had his own band, “Breezinâ€, and was also a member of the Hornell Area Wind Ensemble, the Sterling Brass and the A.O. Pilot Association.
Along with flying, music was his main interest. John also enjoyed gambling, trips to casinos, especially Las Vegas, playing cards, boating, fishing, cigars and a fine wine.
His loving family includes his two children, Lauren (Brian) Prunoske of Livonia and James Dessena (Leslie Nolasco) of Odessa, Tx.; their mother, Susan Dessena of North Hornell; his father, John Dessena of Hornell; his two brothers, Richard (Kathy) Dessena of North Hornell and Carl Dessena (Terri LaVerde) of Hornell; also his nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins
The Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc. in Hornell is honored to serve the family of John J. Dessena.
Calling hours are 4-8 p.m. today (Friday) at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell. Friends are invited to meet his family at St. Ann’s Church in Hornell where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday. Following the Mass, the immediate family will attend a private committal prayer service at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Town of Fremont.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute his memory to either the American Diabetes Assoc., 160 Allens Creek Road, Rochester, N.Y. 14618 or the American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852. Envelopes for memorial contributions will be available at the funeral home.
Heavens Band( Jesus Personal Band) just received a Fantastic Trumpet Player and a Wonderful Person.All Heaven will rejoice
An Irish blessing for my Italian cousin;
May the wind be at your back,
the sun shine warm upon your face
and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
R.I.P John
Carl,Rich,Sue & Family,
So sorry to hear of John’s passing. He was a true gentlemen and a great friend. Rest assured he is now with his Mom watching over all of you. Thoughts & Prayers are with you all at this difficult time.
Tommy Drumm
‘Big John’ Dessena, a great friend and musician – we attended SUNY Alfred at the same time and met while members of the band with Mr C as our leader. Band Trips to Disney and Rome, Italy and concerts on campus – those trumpets…John, Paul Flanders and Terry (??last name) Amazing talent. We had so many good times. I do remember sharing a kiss with John but no romance ensued…guess he was saving his heart for Sue. Fast forward to 1982 where his group Breezin’ played at my wedding. I have pictures of John and me at the microphone singing “oh when the saints go marching in”. Kinda of lost touch for a while but then thanks to social media we reconnected on facebook. In the back of my mind was thinking I would make it back to Alfred to see what changed and meet up with John for lunch. I’ve lost that opportunity but I will never lose the memories. My sincere sympathies to John’s family and friends. A great guy who left us too soon. RIP John and say Hi to my mom…she’ll remember you!
John was a good friend to Michael and I. We will miss him very much! Our deepest sympathies go out to the family.
Carl & Terri
Our thoughts and prayers are with you guys
God Bless
I was sorry to hear of John’s passing. RIP my friend. My sympathies to your family.
My condolences to the Dessena and Marino families. And to anyone who had the pleasure to know John. I think I will miss his sense of humor the most.You will be truely missed my friend.
Our sympathies to John’s family… we knew him from the band and jazz band at Alfred State (many years ago!!). Loved to hear him play!
I am very sorry to learn of John’s passing. My memories are from the “Breezin” days; a special time in my life. After finishing high school, I worked at the City Clerk’s office & that’s where I met Julia, John’s mother, a lovely caring woman. My sincere condolences to Rich and the rest of the family at this sad time. May your memories comfort you.
John was a great trumpet player in the Alfred State Jazz Band, always had the chops to,play Get It On. Johns brother Rich was in my suite at Main Gate A