John J. Lachowicz

John Joseph Lachowicz passed peacefully on Saturday, October 8, 2011. John was born on April 23, 1924 in Manhattan, NY to Andrew and Katherine Lachowicz. At age 7 he and his father traveled back to his native Poland to build a home and farm for the family, but Andrew passed away before Katherine could join them. Young John then returned to his mother in New York. Katherine passed away several years later when John was only 12 years old. He was placed in an orphanage and with the help of Catholic Services, found a permanent home with the Burden family. John loved his Foster family, which consisted of Philip and Lillian Burden, brother Phil, and sisters Ellen and Marie. When he was 18 he joined the United States Army and served honorably for three years in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in the Pacific Theater. Upon his return to the United States he met his wife of 42 years, Theresa (Terry) Agostino. John honed his skills as an expert upholsterer and moved his bride to Ellwood City, PA where Terry’s family resided. There he opened his own shop with a business partner. In Pennsylvania, he and Terry saw their family grow to inclu...[more]

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include 4 beautiful children, Sharon, Ellen, John and Gary. John moved the family to Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 1959 where he started C&R Upholstery. He and Terry added to the family with the birth of their 5th child, Karen. John proved to be a devoted family man and took great care of his beloved Terry when she developed multiple cases of cancer. He sacrificed all he could to make sure that his wife and children had a loving and caring home. He continued his business for over 32 years and finally retired in 1990 to care for Terry, who passed in 1991. He missed his loving wife, but carried on with the love he felt towards his 5 children and their spouses. In 1994 John met Lois Strickland who became his loving companion and friend. He and Lois led a fun-filled active life together and Lois was with him on the day he passed. John will always be remembered as a loving, caring father, husband and companion who spoke three languages, loved to dance, sing and kept his sense of humor to the very end. He always took pride in his family. John’s legacy is that family always came 1st and he left this world a better place because of the way he lived and loved. In addition to his children, their spouses and his two sisters, he is survived by Lois Strickland and her family, and his grandchildren, Christopher Lachowicz, Kasey Ervin, Jessie Ervin and Jillian Vega. A mass will be held at St. David’s Catholic Church in Davie, FL on Saturday, October 15th at 3:00 PM. The family will hold a celebration of his life at the Pine Island Ridge Clubhouse immediately after the service. John will be laid to rest on Monday, October 17th at the National Cemetery in Lake Worth. The family requests that donations to Catholic Hospice be made in lieu of flowers (www.CatholicHospice.org).