Huntington Grad John Cesare Passes Away
John Cesare, a member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1955 who was well-known as the “consummate businessman,” passed away last month at the age of 71. He was a longtime Huntington resident and also attended Robert K. Toaz Junior High School.
His daughters, Sherry and Cindy are also Huntington graduates. He worked until the day he died. “He was an amazing person,” said Sherry about her father. When Mr. Cesare graduated from Huntington, the school was known as Robert L. Simpson High School and was located on Main Street in the building that now serves the community as Town Hall.
Mr. Cesare’s family was at his side when he passed away after suffering a stroke at Huntington Hospital. He moved to Huntington from Queens in the 1940’s. Over the course of his life, the Huntington alum served in the New York State National Guard, volunteered with the Huntington Fire Department for 15 years and supported numerous charities and non-profit organizations with his time, efforts and financial contributions.
Even in his teenage years it was clear that Mr. Cesare was destined for a career in business. As a Huntington senior he won the E.C. McGaul Award, which was presented by the Huntington Fire Department to the top business student.
A 1963 graduate of Adelphi University, he worked for the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance company for 43 years. He was one of just a handful of life insurance agents in the United States to possess the coveted professional designation of “Chartered Life Underwriter” when he joined CMLU.
The Huntington grad eventually founded his own division of the company, John J. Cesare Associates in Woodbury, handling insurance and investments for thousands of clients over the years.
When Mr. Cesare was growing up, Huntington was a much smaller town. It was a place where most of the community’s life revolved around the high school and where friendships, while relaxed, were forged of steel. Mr. Cesare soaked in this “chummy” atmosphere and he later had a golden touch in building personal relationships and trust among those he came in contact with throughout his career.
Mr. Cesare led an interesting life and his mind was always fast at work. He was constantly looking for hints that a business was on the verge of taking off. In the early days of rock-n-roll he started a magazine, “The Blast,” and was able to cover the first U.S. tour of “The Beatles” before he turned his attention full-time to insurance and investments.
A real family man, Mr. Cesare was well-known for his fondness for dogs, golf, Italian food, the New York Mets, Star Wars movies and family events. Watching his beloved Mets win the 1986 World Series at Shea Stadium was a moment in time Mr. Cesare always treasured. One group near and dear to his big heart was Suffolk AHRC (Association for the Help of Retarded Children).
Mr. Cesare leaves behind his wife of nearly 40 years, Claudia. He was interred at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Huntington.
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