John Paul Hassett, 87, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, November 14, 2022, surrounded by loved ones.
John (Jack) was born in Housatonic, MA on November 26, 1934 the son of William J. and Edna E. (Gagnon) Hassett, and brother of William, Thomas and Bernard. He graduated from Searle High School, where he starred in varsity baseball, basketball and also quarterbacked the football team. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from North Adams State College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, and also starred for the basketball team. His love of sports continued throughout his life. He was an avid fan of every Boston sports team, and the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team.
Jack served in the United States Air Force during the Korean war. After a year of training at Yale University, he worked as a Chinese linguist for U.S. Air Force Intelligence. Jack’s unit flew over active battlefields in Korea, translating real time Mandarin communications of the Chinese, providing valuable intelligence to soldiers on the ground.
Jack was an English teacher at Greenfield High School for 38 years. For many years, he directed the Greenfield High School Senior Play. Many alumni of his drama program went on to professional acting careers. He loved to write poetry and continued to be an active writer throughout his retired life.
Jack was married to Sylvia Allen in 1957. They were happily married for 46 years until her passing in 2003. They had two children: Julia and Kevin. While Julia predeceased Jack, he is survived by her husband Bill and their two children, Matthew and Daniel, who live in Chicago. Kevin, his wife Kristie, and their two children, John and James, hail from Washington, DC.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Friday, Nov. 18, at 10:00 am at Blessed Sacrament Church, 221 Federal St., Greenfield. Committal prayers will follow in Calvary Cemetery.
There are no calling hours.
A Celebration of Jack’s Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, it is requested by Jack’s family that donations be made to the Dakin Humane Society, online at www.dakinhumane.org
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