JOHN MEDE

JOHN L. MEDE May 17, 1931 - March 27, 2015 On March 27, 2015 John "Johnny Montana" Mede passed away
after a courageous battle with cancer. John was 83 years young. John loved life, his family, friends and the great outdoors. Cancer took his life but it never put a dent in his optimistic and courageous spirit. John was born and grew up in Brooklyn, NY and enthusiastically carried his Brooklyn street smarts and attitude with him throughout his life. John had a gift to make each person he met feel special. John proudly served his country in the U.S. Army with a combat tour in Korea, receiving a Purple Heart for wounds suffered during battle. Upon completion of his military service John returned home and married the love of his life, Mary Driscoll. John and Mary were happily married for almost 50 years until Mary's death in 2002. Throughout their marriage John often affectionately referred to his beloved Mary as "My Bride". John and Mary were devoted to one another and they served as a shining example of what a loving and happy marriage should be. After a long, successful and dedicated career with the F.W. Woolworth Company, John was able to entice Mary to retire to Montana. However, Mary was able to extract a promise they spend winters in Florida where they made many dear, close friends. John loved the great outdoors and spent many happy days hunting, fishing and golfing. He was especially fond of bow hunting for elk in Montana. John remained vigorous, both mentally and physically, throughout his life. He was able to pursue his passion of hunting up to the end and harvested an elk with his bow at age 83. While in Florida, after learning he had a short time left to live, John said he wanted to spend his last days in his beloved adopted state of Montana. Unable to fly because of his condition, John travelled over 2,700 miles by vehicle to return where his heart longed to be - in the beautiful mountains of Montana. After returning home John had a number of happy days visiting with family and friends while watching elk roam in the hills behind his home. By his words and deeds John often expressed gratitude for the many blessings bestowed on him and he encouraged others to be positive, enthusiastic and thankful. John is survived by his five children, Bill, Karen, Maureen, Dianne and John; eight grandchildren; and a great grandchild. A Memorial Service celebrating John's life will be held later this summer.