Poughkeepsie – John A. Kiselak, Sr., 94, currently of Poughkeepsie and formerly of Hyde Park and Poughquag, passed away comfortably on January 26, 2019 three days short of his 95th birthday. John was born in North Tarrytown, NY on January 29, 1924 to Matthew and Antonia (Cifersky) Kiselak. John was one of 8 children growing up during the Great Depression. The first childhood home was on River Road in Tarrytown where he and his siblings and friends grew up with the Hudson River as their playground. It is no wonder that John and his 3 brothers enlisted in the Navy during WWII. John served as an airborne radioman aboard the USS Intrepid from 1943-1945. He had many stories to tell about adventure, fear, brotherhood, pride, and patriotism. In June of 2018 John was one of six WWII Veterans honored on the ship when the Intrepid Museum in NYC celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Intrepid. He was interviewed and videotaped at that time so that some of his stories are forever part of the oral history library maintained onboard the museum ship.
After the war John married Elizabeth Maurer, the love of his life. They were married for 65 years and raised three children (John A. Kiselak II, MD (Barbara), Christine McIntyre, and Francine Kallman(Bob)) in Hyde Park, NY. Following the death of his wife in 2012, John lived on his own and found happiness in his independence, his senior friends at the Beekman Recreation Center, his bingo friends in Haverstraw, and with his family. John is survived by one brother (Robert Kiselak, Florida), his 3 children, 11 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren.
great-grandchildren, John was cremated and at a later date the remains of both he and his beloved wife will be added to the Mausoleum at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Tarrytown. Their ashes will be forever in a niche facing west and his beloved Hudson River.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, the staff at Castle Point VA Hospital and the staff at the different rehab facilities John resided at during the past year. In his final days the staff of The Renaissance in Staatsburg provided John and his family compassionate care that allowed him to pass away comfortably and with dignity.
