John Kenneth Ossi

John was born May 2, 1949, in Hackensack, New Jersey. He grew up in Paramus, New Jersey, and later attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey, where he was in the National Honors Society, and was selected for the All South Jersey Band. He earned his Eagle Scout badge and graduated high school in 1967.

He went to Washington and Lee College University for one year for pre-law at the urging of his parents, but he decided he couldn’t give up his love for music, and transferred to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He received his Bachelor of Music in 1971 and soon after married his high school sweetheart, Diana L. Juriga, on July 3, 1971.

John and Diana moved to Warner, New Hampshire, where John worked at a nearby factory and learned how to weld. They soon moved back to Boston, and then later to Millis, Massachusetts, and eventually, Maynard, Massachusetts, where they bought their first house and built a beautiful backyard vegetable garden. He often spent time outdoors canoeing and camping. After a few years of managing kitchens, cycling to work, and playing in many classical music groups — including a Renaissance baroque ensemble — John decided to go back to school to get his master’s degree and was accepted into Yale.

Diana stayed home with their two young children, Kim and Chris, while John commuted to New Haven, Connecticut. Since he was away a lot during his studies, John — always creative — recorded himself reading books on micro cassettes, so Kim could have a bedtime book “read” to her each night, while Diana was tending to baby Chris. John received his Master of Music from Yale in 1985, and soon after the family moved to Tallahassee, so John could attend Florida State University for his doctoral program. He graduated in 1997, with his Doctorate in Music in Trumpet Performance.

Putting both his musicianship and past metalworking skills to work, he worked repairing brass instruments for Nelson’s Music/MusicMasters for many years until his retirement in 2007.

While in Tallahassee, John pursued some of his many hobbies, including his love of 8x10 view camera photography, often trekking to the nearby Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park and other natural areas, and practicing contact palladium printing in his home darkroom (of which his wife was very tolerant). His garage shop was full of tools to build household items, but he also had a great love of miniatures, which extended to N-scale trains.

During his entire musical career, the things he enjoyed most were playing 19th century cornet solos and playing from his self-authored library of hymnal descants. He played with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra for 15 years, and hosted an in-home trumpet studio, where he taught a couple of generations of students to love the instrument. He also passed his love of music and his musicianship on to his children, both of whom played in Florida’s All-State Band & Orchestra multiple years while in high school.

John was preceded in death by his brother, Michael Alan Ossi; father, John Kenneth Ossi; and mother, Dorothy Knowlan Ossi. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Diana L. Ossi, of Monticello; daughter, Kimberly Ossi van Brecht, of Shady Side, Maryland, her husband, Jason, and grandson, Dexter; and son, Christopher Ossi, of Monticello, and his fiancée, Andrea Calitri, and grandson Benjamin.

No services will be held, but in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in John’s name to the Parkinson’s Foundation.