John E Fesco, 91 years old

John is survived by his wife, Beth G Fesco, and his sister Joyce Smith.

John was a dignified, kind, giving and loving man. He enjoyed fishing, boating, flying model airplanes and casinos to name a few. One of the best memories of him, because he laughed every time he said it, was when he and Beth were first married and moving in. Beth walked down the long driveway, carrying her birds in their cages. He never forgot that. He had a wonderful mother who is very missed, and he was blessed with 45 1/2 years of loving marriage.

A private funeral will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Halifax Health Hospice, phone number for donations 1-800-272-2717. They did an outstanding job caring for John and being helpful and supportive. They are always available and quick in their responses.

Beth created a video for her and John's anniversary, which is linked below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfP5HCekfEk

JOHN'S EULOGY

John was a very special person different from anyone I have ever known. . From the first time I met him, I knew he was the guy I was going to marry. Never met anybody like him. A friend of ours introduced us, and I spent two hours talking to him. I knew he would never ask me out on a date because of our age difference, so I called him up a few days later, and he said yes…..was the first time I ever called a guy and the last, a year later we were married.

When I moved into his house, he said he would never forget that day with me walking up the long driveway with my birds and he always remembered that and laughed even until close to the end.

John was kind, loving, funny, special, comforting and brave. He served his country in the Marines on enemy lines. … and was always very proud of his service.

He weathered some terrible adversities in his life, and he got through them as well as helping other people he could be very proud of facing his very serious drinking problem by join AA, working the program and becoming sober, which saved his life since he had been hospitalized several times, and almost died from the alcohol abuse. He was sober two years before I met him, and I had the privilege of hearing his story that he told at a meeting. My heart was breaking for him as I listened to him telling us what he endured. I remember distinctly, When he mentioned that his mother used to hand him his dinner on a plate through the window so he didn't have to go into the house. But from his horrendous experience, he managed to pull himself together, his courage shining through, escape the madness, regain his true self, and with the help of the program, went on to be a wonderful sponsor to other people. He was always lovingly giving of himself.

John showed tremendous strength and courage, in so many ways. Even with the many obstacles that came across in our life together, he took them on with his loyalty and love. There were tough times ahead to come for us, but his support and dedication always shined through. He had a quiet strength that's most certainly kept me going. . John was an extremely comforting person. We had a wonderful life together back then. I think it's important to know about John, the man who he was and what he meant to me. He was indeed my knight in shining armor…, and he brought me love, peace, and passion . He was everything a woman could ever really ask for, I think a lot of women never know what it is to experience what we had. That kind of love only comes around once in a lifetime and besides that, he was the handsomest guy I ever met in my life. John also had a quiet, dignity and grace, and that's just part of who he was.

There was nothing not to like about John. Everybody loved him. And that's just the way it was.He was just uniquely special. He had a wonderful mother who was not an alcoholic that needs an honorable mention here as well, because she also gave from her beautiful heart and brought him into this world. I loved her dearly. She wasn't just an outstanding mother in law but a very special friend..who I will also miss forever.

In his passing, I'm relieved he's not suffering anymore. The loss of dignity I think was one of the hardest things for him to bear. For him to feel that he was a burden and unable to do things, and was supposed to just sit there and deteriorate that was torture for him, he was never a burden. It was just a heartbreak, but he was embarrassed what the illness did to him and he was also in a
lot of pain. Thank goodness Halifax Hospice was very good at managing his pain but until then his suffering was intense. So this dignified, classy wonderful man had to endure watching his dignity stripped from him.

It was very hard to bear.

So this disease took away everything he was on the outside, but not on the inside. He still had that loving, wonderful heart.

So now he's free from that deteriorating body. That could no longer sustain him, he's free from his suffering, and watching himself decline in that way. He's free of the frustration and anger and grief over what was happening to him. He's finally free to see his mom again, and to be in her loving arms.

I pray for his eternal peace and I believe the soul lives on, and a part of him will always be here with me as well.

I never felt like he was a burden, I just felt frustrated that I couldn't care for him towards the end, that my body wasn't strong enough to take care of him home anymore…

So to my John. . I say rest in peace, and thank you for the memories. Thank you for loving me the way you did. Thank you for standing by my side. Thank you for being such a wonderful, loyal husband and friend and thank you for being you and gracing my life. I will always miss being loved by you.

Your loving wife, Beth