John Leo Fallon, 94, of Bloomington
John Leo Fallon of Bloomington, N.Y., passed away Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016, at Ferncliff nursing home after a lengthy illness. Born March 15, 1922, in Kingston, N.Y., John (Jack) grew up in Kingston. As a young boy, Jack knew where to find all the ball playing fields and swimming holes that were available to young kids back in those days. Athletic from an early age, he enjoyed canoeing on the Esopus or the Rondout, fishing and camping. As a 9th grader, Jack became a member of the KHS Maroon football team. He would emerge as one of the star team members during the ’39’41 seasons. He would be elected captain of the football team his senior year as well as starring in track and field,
He went to Syracuse University on a football scholarship and graduated with a MS in Education. He enlisted in the service after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served with the 4th Marine Division at Roi Namur, Tinian and Saipan.
Jack accepted a position teaching health and general science at Kingston High school in 1956. There, he would find his passion, not in teaching, but in union organizing. In 1959, Jack was elected vice president of the Kingston Teachers Federation. There, Jack and others would be instrumental in helping the Kingston school district teachers win the right to be represented by the Empire State Teachers Federation (ESFT). Jack was employed by the ESFT in 1960, serving as an executive secretary, president and teacher union organizer throughout upstate New York. He retired from the New York State United
Teachers in 1974. Jack was a former Fire Commissioner of Woodstock Fire Company No. 4. Gifted with a great memory and the voice of an Irish tenor, Jack was known to break out in an acapella rendition of any number of songs popular in the 1930s and ’40s. He loved singing so much that he and his wife, Arlita, would volunteer at local nursing homes. An avid “Jeopardy” fan, Jack had a great sense of humor; he could be counted on for a round of joke-telling and loved the laughter that accompanied the joke.
Jack is survived by his daughter, Janine Fallon Mower (John); son, Michael Fallon (Linda); his grandchildren, Allan Mower (Alexa) and Colleen Young (Jason), Kelly Fallon and Michael Fallon; great-grandchildren, Grace, Liam and Julia Young and Emily Mower; nieces, Michelle Mellert and Dale Elmore and families; and nephews, John Pierz and Ed Schirick (Cathy) and family.
He was predeceased by his parents, Ethel Baker Marsh and John Leo Fallon; his sisters, Mary Fallon Schirick and Ruth Fallon Nyer; son, John L. Fallon Jr.; niece, Marie Nyer; and his wives, Shirley Smith, Winnie Davis and Arilta Barringer. The Fallon family wishes to thank Dr. Victoria Engel and staff for their expert and compassionate care of their father for many years. Also, the staff of Health Alliance/Kingston Hospital, who treated Jack with kindness and respect each time he was admitted for care.
Calling hours will be Friday, Sept. 9, 2016, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Lasher Funeral Home in Woodstock, N.Y. Services will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, at 11 a.m. at Lasher Funeral Home, with burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Kingston to follow.
The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that donations in John Fallon’s name be made to the Bloomington Fire Department, P.O. Box 111, Bloomington, N.Y. 12411.