Williamsburg, Va. – Angelo John Gada Jr., 76, passed away peacefully in Williamsburg, Va., surrounded by his loving family and his companion/caregiver on the evening of March 3, 2015, after a long illness.
John was born on October 30, 1938, in New London, and grew up on Fishers Island, N.Y. He attended Tabor Academy in Massachusetts, where he received academic honors, played varsity football and graduated as captain of the lacrosse team. He went on to receive a bachelor of science degree at Boston College in 1961. John returned to Fishers Island to work for the family business, A. John Gada General Contracting Inc. and eventually retired as president and treasurer. Among his many building accomplishments he is also remembered for his sense of humor, honesty, generosity, and selflessness. Above all else, John’s friends knew that his integrity was always placed in a firm handshake.
John was a volunteer of the Fishers Island Fire Department and Ambulance Squad for more than 20 years before becoming a lifetime member. He was a member of the Elks and Moose Lodges. He enjoyed duck hunting and was a dedicated Ducks Unlimited Volunteer of the New York and Virginia chapters. He loved all dogs, especially raising his Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
John and his wife, Silvana, raised two children and enjoyed many years of Island life together before retiring to Williamsburg. There he worked part time at Ace Hardware, enjoyed the warmer weather and most of all loved to spend time with his three grandchildren. John was a parishioner at Our Lady of Grace Church, Fishers Island and St. Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Silvana (Tonelli) Gada; son, Matthew and his wife, Amanda; daughter, Monica and her fiance, Richard; grandchildren, Carson, Mia, and Mollie; sister, Carolyn and her family.
The family kindly requests donations in John’s memory be made to either, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Attn: Tribute Program, Box 1000, Memphis, TN 38148 www.StJude.org or Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 www.guidingeyes.org.
A memorial celebration of his life will be planned in Williamsburg and on Fishers Island at a later date.
Arrangements by Hogg Funeral Home and Crematory, Gloucester Point, Va.
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Published in The Day March 14, 2015
