John L. Durante, 94, died March 12, 2018, at the Mount Greylock Health Care Facility in Pittsfield, Mass., after a long illness.
Born in Lee, he was the son of Donato and Rosena Slodyska Durante and the youngest of six siblings. John enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific Theater of operations during World War II, including a tour on the island of Guadalcanal. He crewed yard patrol boats and was qualified for patrol torpedo, or PT boat operations.
After being honorably discharged in 1946, he worked briefly at the Smith Paper Company in Lenox Dale before being employed at the General Electric company in 1949 as a maintenance mechanic and later as a group leader in various departments including the plastics division. He was a member of the GE emergency response team and was a graduate of the Ansul Emergency Response Firefighting School. He retired in 2014 and holds the record for the most years of continuous service in the history of the General Electric company, with 65 years of service. John married Regina Lapinskas in 1951 and remained married until her death in 1981. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting, fishing and trapping. He also enjoyed snowmobiling and gardening.
He is survived by two sons: Douglas Durante and wife Leslie Ceder, and David Durante; a sister: Catherine Shaw; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to HospiceCare in the Berkshires in c/o the Kelly Funeral Home, 3 Main St., Lee, MAÂ Â 01238. To leave a message of condolence for the family or share pictures, visit www.kellyfuneralhome.net.
