BROCKTON - John J. Ventura, age 96, of Brockton, passed away on September 27, 2020 at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital. He was the beloved husband of Rita (Caron) Ventura for 72 years. Born in Fall River, he was the son of the late Manuel and Mary (Rego) Ventura.
John left school early and joined his friends in the military service. He served in the US Army and fought for our country in the Philippines and Japan. In later years, he started collecting baseball caps from different locations but – in very recent years – the only hat he wore was “World War II Veteran”. He was very proud of his service and people often would thank him for that and buy him lunch or dinner as a further “Thank You”.
He worked for many years in the Quincy quarry as a dynamite setter and it was for that reason the Ventura family moved from Fall River to Brockton in 1965…to be closer to his work.
In later years, John also loved taking rides and eating out and loved going to his favorite places including “The 99 Restaurant”, “Boston Tavern” and – his very favorite – Thai food at “The Chatta Box” in Bridgewater. In fact, his 89th birthday picture – from there - was displayed in the front take-out area for several years.
John also loved his sports and – in order – he was devoted to (#1) the Bruins, then the Red Sox, the Patriots and the Celtics. When two teams were on TV at the same time, John was known to flip from one game to the other constantly. He enjoyed reading the Sports section to see what was going on and who would be on TV that day and when. He also enjoyed playing cards with family and friends. In fact, John and Rita had a recurring card game for 50 years with best friends Dottie and David (Tiny) Thompson.
Along with his wife, he is survived by his children Donald Ventura and his wife Marta of Nevada and Debbie Shea and her husband Kevin of Brockton; his sister Laura Storm of Stoughton; grandchildren Stacey Wade and Michelle Froustet of Virginia; great-grandchildren Gretchen, Samantha and Andrew Wade, Natalie and Madeline Froustet; as well as several nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his brothers Manuel (Manny) and Michael (Mickey) and sisters Marie Carr, Mary Teixeira and Aldina DeGrace.
Family and friends are invited to John's calling hours that take place on Monday, Oct. 5th from 4-8 P.M. at the MANUEL ROGERS & SONS FUNERAL HOME, 1521 N. Main St., Fall River. Due to current restrictions, we ask for your patience as you may need to wait to come in to pay your respects. Please consider a donation to DAV – Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301. To send the family expressions of sympathy, please go to www.rogersfuneral.com