Obituary of John J Ocello

John Ocello, beloved father, died in the early morning of Friday, June 7th, 2024, at the age of 68.

Once, when asked to describe himself in one word, John summed up his existence with an expletive too profane to be appropriate in an obituary. The orifice he compared himself to is a common insult in our culture, but to know John was to understand that he half meant it in a self-complimentary manner. His children would have to admit that this positive spin is accurate: what he saw as his greatest flaws were also strengths and a point of pride.

John was at his core stubborn, headstrong, obstinate, opinionated, ornery, and generally anti-social. And often, he was those things in the most wonderful ways. For those he loved, he would be the first person to show up when you were in trouble and then the first person to tell you how stupid the thing you did to get into trouble was. He was a hard worker, well-informed, and tenacious at defending the people and things that mattered to him. Although, even if he liked you, he wasn’t necessarily that interested in spending time with you.

John was a lover of Sinatra, the Beatles, and Pink Floyd, harbored a great appreciation for Italian food, enjoyed occasional travel to the island of Saint Maarten, playing cards with Mia & Ralph, and was a lifelong devoted fan of the New York Yankees, even in the years the team was doing terrible.

Born January 10th, 1956, to his father, Joseph, mother, Ann, and older brother Carmine, John lived for most of his life in Cliffside Park, NJ, and worked for several decades as a piano mover. His talents in his professional work were accomplished and renowned, providing service to many of the highest profile concert events in the region.

John will be remembered and missed by his children: daughter Tara and son-in-law Michael, his son Ryan and daughter-in-law Patricia; his two cherished grandsons Trey and Battle; his ex-wife Nanci; best friend and roommate Kenny; long-time boss Bill; and numerous other friends, relatives, and co-workers.

A small celebration of John’s life will be held but if you can’t be there don’t worry, he probably would bow out himself given the option. If you wish to honor John, point out something someone is wrong about and then don’t trouble yourself listening to the objection. And if you ever need a piano moved, count the number of stairs correctly.