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- On February 17, 2011 of Cherry Hill, NJ. Age 91 years. Beloved husband of the late Cecilia (nee Ozorio). Devoted father of Maria Chisholm and her husband Dan of Atco & Peter and his wife Denise of Tabernacle. Dear brother of twin Sophia Thorsen, Kristen Falnes, and Magne Falnes, all of Norway. Proud grandfather of Beth and Victoria Chisholm & Danielle and John "Teddy" Falnes. John grew up in Skudenshawn Norway. He first went to sea when he was a teenager and worked on fishing boats out of Iceland. He was still a teenager when he first came to the USA and worked on clam boats out of Wildwood, NJ. It was a hard life working on the clam boats in those days and he knew he wanted a better life than that. He studied hard to become an engineer so he could work below decks in the engine room. Soon he found himself working in engine rooms on larger merchant vessels and before he knew it World War II would begin and he would be doing this job in submarine infested waters. When the war broke out John was on what he described as an old "rust bucket" that was overdue for the scrap yard and hardly seaworthy, the S/S Norse King. The ship loaded up with beans in Bangkok, Thailand and sailed to Cuba on what he called the "longest voyage he was ever on". He arrived in Cuba 78 long days later. John's next ship was the Ville de Hasselt a fast ship and had been on a steady run from New York to Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow. He made 6 trips to Liverpool and Glasgow through submarine infested waters on the Ville de Hasselt, a ship that was considered too fast for the slow convoys so it sailed alone. On the 6th trip they received orders to make a trip with a fast convoy mostly passenger ships 12 in all. Two days out their destroyer escort left and the convoy split up. The German U boats knew about it and ten hours later the Ville de Hasselt was hit by two torpedoes. After two miserably cold nights with little clothes, the engine room was terribly hot, John was picked up by an Iceland fishing Trawler. John went on to serve on several ships making convoy runs across the Atlantic and when America entered the war he sailed the American coastal waters at a time when the German U boats rained terror up and down the east coast. After the war John worked for an American shipping company based in Shanghi, China. Where he met his wife Cecilia, she was a secretary for the same company. They married and left China before the communists took over. John and Cissy made their home in Norway for a short time before coming to the US. John worked for the Gulf Oil Company as a steam and diesel Marine Engineer working mostly on tankers sailing the seven seas and at times the smaller diesel tankers in the great lakes. He was Chief Engineer on the Gulf Supreme and then the Gulf Pride until his retirement. The family will receive relatives and friends Saturday morning 10:00-11:00AM at COSTANTINO FUNERAL HOME 231 W. WHITE HORSE PIKE BERLIN, NJ 08009. Memorial service 11:00AM. For additional information or to email lasting condolences: CostantinoFH.com.
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1919 - 2011 (91 år)
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