John C. Needham

John C. Needham of Scarsdale, NY passed away peacefully on June 1st 2023 surrounded by his family and the love of his friends after a courageous battle with cancer.
John is loved, remembered and survived by his wife, Leanne Freda, his son, Daniel Needham (Melissa Slade), his daughter, Caitlin Needham and his sister, Sarah Needham. He is pre-deceased by his father Charles Needham and his mother, Christina Needham.
John was born on September 3, 1953 in Syracuse, New York. He attended Christian Brothers Academy, a private prep school in Syracuse. In 1971 he entered Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. He swam for Hamilton College and earned All-American honors in 1975. After graduating Hamilton College, he attended Boston University Law School and upon graduation worked for a short period of time at a law firm in Worcester, Mass. In 1981, John found his true calling and joined the Legal Aid Society in Manhattan, New York working tirelessly to defend the underprivileged and marginalized. After a few years as a staff attorney, he became a supervising attorney and the head of the Narcotics Unit. John's keen intellect, his strategic vision and his sense of justice brought him much success as a litigator. In 1995, he transferred to the Legal Aid Office in the Bronx as a supervising attorney where he litigated many of his own cases, including homicides, and was considered by many " a great resource for litigation questions involving strategy and tactics." In his 42 year career as a public defender, John impacted many lives. As a supervising attorney he spent many late nights on the phone helping young attorneys prep for their trials. According to his good friend and colleague, Peter Jones, the attorney-in-charge of the Bronx Criminal Division "He was an incredibly calming and supportive influence, and we all benefitted from his knowledge, judgement and support throughout his time with us and for that we are very fortunate."
John was loved by many in the broader Westchester swimming community, most notably by his teammates and friends on the Westchester Masters swim team and the early morning swim group at the Scarsdale Pool. He participated in Swim Across America yearly to raise money for cancer research. His friends from the pool will miss his laid-back nature, incredible and subtle sense of humor and supreme care for everyone in his swimming community.
He will always be remembered as a beloved husband to Leanne and devoted father to his two children, Daniel and Caitlin, of whom he was always so proud and called his greatest joy. He shared his passion for swimming with his children as they both went on to become collegiate swimmers, Daniel swimming for Williams College and Caitlin swimming for Colby-Sawyer College.
John's family will always remember his benevolent heart, his undeniably entertaining sense of humor and his generous spirit. He will be greatly missed by all whose lives he touched.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to one of the following charities:
https://www.scarsdalevac.com/donate
https://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1635633&pg=personal&fr_id=6472
https://www.wphospital.org/foundation/ways-to-give/honormemory-gifts/
The Needham family wishes to thank the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and all their volunteers who rescued us more than once, the Scarsdale Police Dept. for always being at the ready to assist, the amazing doctors and nurses at the White Plains Hospital Center for Cancer Care for their incredible dedication, their loving care and cheerfulness, the nurses and social workers at the White Plains Palliative Care Center for their tireless efforts to assist us and improve John's quality of life, Kenneth and Eunice for their companionship, support and tender care of John. Last but certainly not least, all the amazing friends, both near and far, of John, Leanne, Daniel and Caitlin who were always willing to reach out and help us, whether helping John get to and from treatment, bringing meals, grocery shopping, sending gift cards for meals, bringing and planting flowers, taking care of Sammy, visiting John and always calling to check in, and taking such good care of us during this difficult journey by embracing us in their loving hands and hearts- we are forever grateful.
Love,
Leanne, Daniel, and Caitlin