John Joseph Ciochetty

John Joseph Ciochetty, the patriarch of the Ciochetty family, received his angel wings on July 11, 2024, after a short illness at the age of 97.

John was born in 1927 in Parkersburg, WV, along 3rd Street, to Teresa Angelica and Giovanni Baptiste Ciochetty, Italian immigrants who both came to America in the early 20th century via what is now Ellis Island; he was the godson of “Tootsie” Brosalti, a local grocer. John spent his early childhood playing innocent antics with his best friend, Paul Borelli, who later became a well-known local photographer. He attended St. Xavier Elementary School, where he served as an altar boy at St. Xavier Catholic Church from 1937 to 1942. He later attended Parkersburg High School, graduating from PHS in the spring of 1946. During high school, a time of labor shortages due to World War II, John worked at the Hupp and Wharton dealership in their service department, where he became an auto mechanic. When John was criticized by his father for using the family car to drive around Parkersburg without a license, John’s father removed the coil to prevent John from making the same mistake again; the ever-innovative John Jr. simply built another coil, much to the family’s dismay, proving his determination and stubbornness.

After working as an engraver and watchmaker at The Gem Shop and Mills Jewelers for a few years after graduating, he joined the West Virginia National Guard in 1947 as a member of the 1092nd Engineer Combat Battalion. He entered active duty in the United States Air Force in 1949 and completed his basic training at Lackland AFB, then went to Keesler and Wright-Patterson AFBs for radio school to learn Morse code and flight operations as a radio/telephone operator. He was then transferred to Reykjavik, Iceland for forward deployment duties supporting logistics during the Korean War. After his discharge from Hamilton AFB, California, he returned to Parkersburg WV where he met the love of his life, Mary Ann Williams, whom he married in 1954. They initially settled in Vienna, WV where he also became a volunteer firefighter for the city of Vienna.

While raising a family, he also began working at Kaiser Aluminum in Ravenswood, WV, beginning in April 1956, first in oil drilling, then in the warehouse, where he retired after 32 years. There were many stories of practical jokes among his coworkers that kept work efficiency and morale high. While raising his boys in Belpre, Ohio, there was never a toaster, television set or lawn mower that went unfixed, which instilled a strong work ethic in his sons, John, David and Steven. John loved watching each of his sons work in “The Pride of Belpre” High School Marching Band. After retiring from Kaiser, he and his sweetheart moved to Murrell’s Inlet, SC, a small town described as “a drinking village with a fishing problem” where he did not drink or fish; sadly his sweetheart passed away in 1995, but he quickly became friends with two other recent widowers, Bob Ripley and James (Jim) Driesch. Together they became the Three Musketeers of the Grand Strand, taking numerous international cruises and suffering through countless hurricanes that hit the Pee Dee region, much to the chagrin of their families. Bob was the first to pass away, so Jim and John stuck together and even moved to Bowling Green KY to be closer to both families in 2021.

Jim’s passing in 2021 left the last Musketeer living with his Bowling Green family, regaling them with stories of the past (the 1937 Parkersburg flood, playing baseball in the land of the midnight sun in Iceland, and driving to work in a foot of snow in Ravenswood), basking in the excited laughter of his great-grandchildren, and enjoying his collection of steel cars. He still enjoyed reading novels, enjoyed the occasional stop at Mission Barbecue, and reveled in the freshest coffee in Warren County at Providence Coffee House and Market Place.

John was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Rosalyn, his wife Mary Ann, and his best friends Jim Driesch and Bob Ripley. He is survived by his sons John of Delaware OH, David (Robin) of Bowling Green KY, and Steven (Lisa) of Piperton TN, plus grandchildren Amanda, Tavis, Colin, and Mary. He loved the energy shown to him by his great-grandchildren Kamryn, Gavin, Mary “Brie”Charlotte, Everly, Boone and Amelia.

At his request, there will be no formal visitation or funeral services. He has chosen to have cremation coordinated by Cone Funeral Home in Bowling Green, KY, with a private military funeral service to follow for family in Parkersburg, WV, where he will be laid to rest alongside his wife in Mt. Carmel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family would like contributions to Murrells Inlet 2020 (843-357-2007) or Hospice of Southern Kentucky (270-746-9300).