John R. Ventura, Jr., 81, passed away peacefully on September 26, 2026, following a long but courageous decline. He leaves behind a legacy of service to family, God and country, and is reunited in spirit with his beloved wife of 55 years, Carlene A. Ventura, who preceded him in death in February of this year.
Mr. Ventura was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, son of the late John R. Ventura, Sr. and the late Hilda (Moniz) Ventura, and had resided in Westport for over 50 years. After graduating from New Bedford High School, John attended Providence College and then completed his graduate studies at the University of Connecticut receiving his Masters Degree in Mathematics. In 1968, he began his career at the Naval Underwater Systems Center (NUSC) in Newport, Rhode Island (later renamed the Naval Undersea Warfare Center), where he would work for 56 years researching and developing offensive and defensive weapons for submarines as a DoD civilian for the United States Navy. In his spare time, John also shared his love for mathematics with countless students at Bristol Community College, Fall River, as well as through numerous tutoring opportunities over the years. He and Carlene also cared for dozens of foster babies, opening their loving home to help those less fortunate.
John was a student of history, with a special affinity for Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. One trip in particular stands out in our family’s memory…a trip to Theodore Roosevelt Island, with its nature trails and 17-foot likeness of the former President. He took great pride in rooting for the New York Yankees and the Navy Midshipmen, and was a shareholder of the Green Bay Packers…he always relished cheering against the typical Boston sports teams.
John’s ultimate expression of devotion was fulfillment of duty, and he lived the words of Teddy Roosevelt: “No man, no woman, can shirk the primary duties of life, whether for love of ease and pleasure, or for any other cause, and retain his or her self-respect.” To him, it did not matter whether that duty was a trip to the grocery, completion of household chores, reading The Lion and the Deer or singing You Are My Sunshine to his children and grandchildren, or a half-century commitment to putting his wife and family above all else. And he religiously recorded the completion of every task in a notepad (“Book”), with the strikethrough by his pen (“Stocky”) sounding a “Well done, good and faithful servant” that filled his heart with accomplishment.
Survivors include his three children: John C. Ventura and his wife Rachel of Clinton, Indiana; Joseph C. Ventura and his wife Brook of Louisville, Kentucky; and Ann-Catherine V. Barnes and her husband Jonathan of Edgewater, Maryland; as well as eight grandchildren: Scout Ventura, Ella Ventura, Jackson C. Ventura, Alanna Ventura, Sawyer Ventura, Hannah Barnes, Emberly Ventura and James B. Ventura. John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Hilda Ventura, but is survived by his four brothers: James Ventura and his wife, Edie of New Bedford, Massachusetts; David Ventura and his wife, Lori of New Braunfels, Texas; Dr. Mark Ventura and his wife, Donna of Portsmouth, RI; Jeffrey Ventura and his wife, Sandra of Westwood, Massachusetts; and numerous nieces and nephews
Memorial Mass of Christian Burial to which relatives and friends are invited will be Tuesday, the 24th day of November 2026, at St. George Church, Westport at 10AM in the morning.
Interment will be private.