Obituary of John M. Swistak
John M. Swistak Jr, age 77, of Rome, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2023, at Oneida Healthcare Center after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
John was born in Rome on December 26, 1945 to the late John and Anastasia Matvias Swistak. He graduated from Holland Patent in 1964, obtained his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1968, and master's degrees from RPI in 1981 and RIT in 2000. On 7/22/72 he was united in marriage to the former Elizabeth Synakowski. John served in the United States Air Force from 1968 -1972 where he was a Russian linguist. He was an associate professor at MVCC, retiring in 2017.
John was an avid fan of the NY Giants and Boston Red Sox. He was a published mathematician and enjoyed the statistical analysis of historical baseball games. John was a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). Grandpa John especially loved playing Yahtzee and Monopoly with his grandchildren, teaching them all to be the banker.
John is survived by his loving wife, Liz; his sons, James (Melissa) Swistak and Jason (Jillian) Swistak both of Rome; his grandchildren, Ashlynn, Zachary, Sara, Nicholas, Evelyn, and Jason Jr. He is also survived by two special aunts, Margaret Matwijec and Eleanor Kaido as well as several cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Joanne Hedrick; his brother, David Swistak; and by his niece, Ashley Annis.
The family would like to thank Dr. Benjamin and staff at the Upstate Cancer Center in Oneida for helping us have three more years together.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, August 28, 2023 at 6:00 PM at the Barry Funeral Home, 807 W. Chestnut Street. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.
Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home on Monday from 3 to 6 PM prior to the funeral.
John had a passion for education; in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the MVCC Foundation, 1101 Sherman Drive, Utica, NY 13501 or online at mvcc.edu. Envelopes will be available for your convenience.