Obituary of John L. Marcellus

John L. Marcellus Jr. 92 passed away at home on January 31, 2015, following a lengthy illness. Born on December 16, 1922 to John L. Marcellus and Dorothy Wattenbee Marcellus. John grew up in Clinton, NY and attended Clinton Schools, graduating from Clinton High School in 1942. While at Clinton High School John excelled in football and basketball, which led to a sports scholarship at Hartwick College. After the fall 1942 semester John left Hartwick to enlist, with his younger brother Jim, in the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops, training at Camp Hale, Colorado in 1943. Before he could be deployed, John contracted Rheumatic Fever which lead to a medical discharge from the service. Following his recovery, John entered Syracuse University, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Economics in June 1946. On August 1947 married Joan Burns, also a Clinton native. Joan loved to tell the story that, when she first met John as a fourth grader, she made up her mind that they would be married when they grew up. John joined Oneida Ltd. Silversmiths as a sales representative in 1946, covering metropolitan New York, Baltimore and Washington DC. John and Joan moved frequently during the first few years of their marriage, living first in Somerville New Jersey, then Oceanside, Long Island and Cincinnati, Ohio. During those years their daughter, Alexandra Lawrence was born in 1948 followed by a son, John L. Marcellus III in 1952. In 1956 the family moved to Chagrin Falls Ohio, just outside of Cleveland, where the family remained for the next 10 years. John's promotion to National Sales Manager at Oneida Ltd. Silversmiths brought the family back to upstate New York in 1966. John and Joan built a house on Kenwood Avenue in Oneida, New York where the couple lived for the next 42 years as John was promoted at Oneida to vice president, general manager, president and finally president and CEO, retiring in October 1986 after forty years. As president/CEO John actively supported the promotion of women, both from within and through recruitment in sales, product development, sales promotion and on the Board of Directors. In spite of considerable resistance, John did not back down. His actions were not driven by the women's rights movement but by a strongly developed sense of fair play and a belief that individuals with talent and initiative should be rewarded and promoted regardless of their sex. Following his retirement in 1986, John served on the Board of Directors for: Chase Lincoln First Bank, Kuhlman Corporation, where he enjoyed getting to know fellow board member Norman Schwarzkof, and Southern Financial Bank. John and Joan shared a deep affection for the Adirondack Mountains, first spending time with John's parents at their camp at White Lake and later, renting camps on Blue Mountain Lake until 1975, when They were finally able to build their own camp on Blue Mountain Lake, spending vacations and weekends there until John's retirement in 1986, when they began staying the entire summer and Fall through New Years. John and Joan shared a second passion in their love of Jazz, building an extensive collection of recordings and attending live performances whenever they could through the years. He is survived by daughter Alexandra Lawrence Marcellus of Barneveld and her finance Michael Rekowski, son John L. (Jack) Marcellus III and his partner/son-in-law Michael Kwiatkowski, granddaughter Amy Boyce Hirschel and her husband Phil of Tampa, Fla, great grandchildren Beatrice and Dylan Hirschel, sister in law Ursula Burns Keeley of Tuscon, Ariz.,Nephews Rob and Brendan Keeley of San Diego, CA and Tuscon Ariz, Nephews Frank X. and Robert O' Brien and their wives Sue and Joan of Utica and Baldwinsville, nieces Abby Marcellus McKee and husband Frank of Rochester NY and Julie Marcellus Van Oostenburg and her husband Mark of Holland, Michigan, nephew Scott Marcellus of Hawaii, Cousin Pete Jones and his wife Joan of Clinton, NY friends Wendy and John Starling of Blue Mountain Lake NY, Bruce Ellis of Old Forge NY, Mona and Dan Militello of Sherrill NY, Tommy Norris and his wife Mindy of Raquette Lake, NY,, Denise and Hank Houck of Clinton NY, Kathy Gates of Blue Mountain Lake NY, Nancy Hawkins of Westmoreland NY and Camille Kahler of Rome NY, cousins Claire Burns, David and Lisa Burns, Bernie and Carol Burns, of Clinton and Nicholas K. Burns and wife of Utica. He was predeceased by his wife, Joan Burns Marcellus, brother and sister in law James Macfarlane and Marsha Brockman Marcellus, parents John L. and Dorothy Wattenbee Marcellus, sister Dorothy Isabel Marcellus, sister-in-law Kyle Burns O'Brien, Uncle and Aunt William and Betty Marcellus Schmidt, Aunt and Uncle Fred and Marion Wattenbee Chaney, aunts, Maria Wattenbee Marsh, Sabra Wattenbee Jones, Josephine Wattenbee Kirley Isabel Marcellus Blythe, Uncles William Blythe, Stuart Wattenbee, cousins Judith Burns Gilroy, O. Gregory (Red), Jack Burns, Nicholas K, Burns and dear friend Jean Ellis. The family would like to express special thanks for Robert Burdick, M.D. and Dolly Webb-Sanchez for making possible for John to remain at home during the last few months of his illness. Recently John made the statement that he was incredibly lucky, had done everything he had wanted to do in life, and had no regrets. Services will be held at 11am on Thursday, February 5, 2015 at Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service, Inc., 35 College St., Clinton. All are invited to call on Wednesday, from 4-7pm at the funeral home. Burial will be held at St. Bernard's Cemetery, Waterville in the Spring.