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John Victor Schepis, 79 passed away, Thursday morning, October 1st 2020 at his home in Lake Hiawatha, NJ. His parents were Julia and John of Paterson, NJ. John is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Judith, and daughter, Julie and three sons, John, Jeffrey and Jason, and their spouses, Anna, Vicki, Kathy and Michael and his grandchildren: Justine, Meagan, Frank, John Victor, Jack, Kate, Alexandra, John Jason.
John was born on November 26, 1940 in Paterson, NJ. He went to East Side High School, then transferred to Cardinal Farley Military Academy and then attend St. Bonaventure University where he was a Biology Chemistry major.
John married his childhood sweetheart and forever partner on June 30th, 1962 at St Brendan’s Church in Clifton, NJ and they began their married life in Paterson, before moving to Saddle Brook and then settling in Lake Hiawatha for the last 50 years. Together they moved forward to build a life full of love inspiring all the family and friends that surrounded them. John was a loving husband first and above all. He was a provider in every sense of the word. He gave strength through the kindness of his heart and the power of his intellect, always preaching education and hard work. John was known for his love of offering advice, whether solicited or (often) unsolicited. His famous sayings included “enjoy your young life”, “you don’t own your possessions, your possessions own you”, “get up in the morning and put on one pant leg at a time and just do your best”, “if you live life properly each stage has something special to enjoy”, and his favorite one to his granddaughters “no boys!”
John had his priorities: his wife, Judith, Family, Friends, Local Teamsters Union #125; the New York Yankees & New York Giants. He was not complicated as much as he was unwavering in his full-hearted commitment to all. He loved his wife like no other. He with the support of his loving wife Judith provided for advance educations for their four children. The crowning achievement being their youngest sons’ graduation from University of Pennsylvania Dental School. John’s family orbit extended far outside his immediate wife and children. Together John and his wife Judith opened their home during the holidays to all family members and taught their children to do the same. Their summer home in Long Beach Island was their happy place and was always open to all family & friends. Summer was time to ride the wave runners and see him beam with pride watching his children and grandchildren smile and laugh, and he enjoyed sitting on his deck looking at the ocean. He would enjoy the shore all the more as some of his children went on to buy beach houses of their own. At work John prided himself on consistently being one of the top route salesmen providing the best possible living to support his family. He later retired after 30 years to become the Secretary Treasurer of the Local 125 Teamsters Union. John was not someone to shy from a challenge but to relish in the opportunity to test his will and intelligence against another for a good cause. He persevered against incredible odds to win a landmark wage and hour case for his members that provided huge back wages and set precedent for the country. There was another side to John. He had a childlike excitement for the opening day of baseball season and rarely missed even one Yankee game on TV. The New York Giants brought him great joy as well. John had intuition based on years of watching his teams and made many a call about what was going to happen next. His joy just made you want to love these games as much as he did.
There are too many memories to mention and so many more we wish we might have had. John brought us so much more than we could ever give back. John is in a better place now and his legacy will live on in his family and friends.
Visiting hours are Tuesday, October 6th at Bizub-Quinlan Funeral Home, 1313 Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013. Funeral service 9:15 am Wednesday, October 7th at the Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 am at St. Philip the Apostle R.C. Church, 797 Valley Road, Clifton, NJ 07013. Entombment to follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson, NJ. Due to current restrictions on allowable numbers inside the funeral home, it is requested that those attending the visitation be courteous by limiting their time inside in order to allow others the opportunity to pay their respects as well. Facemasks are required for entry and social distancing will apply. Please visit www.bizubquinlan.com for online condolences and driving directions.
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