John Paul Dreska

John P. Dreska died peacefully on Monday, March 15, 2021 after a brief illness. John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret. John is survived by his wife Mary Lurana, sons John (Carol), and Christopher (Lisa), three grandchildren John, Taylor, and Danielle, and his sister Marjorie Pietrantonio. John was born November 26, 1938 in Yonkers, NY and graduated from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, in 1960, with a bachelor's degree in economics, and he later earned a master's degree in business administration from Tulane University, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Quartermaster Basic and Advanced Courses, Armed Forces Staff College, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the CAPSTONE General Officer Course. During his more than 32 years of active duty service, John held numerous key Quartermaster and logistics assignments in the United States and around the world. In the 1960s he served as a Post Quartermaster in Japan (1963-66) and as a Supply and Logistics Officer in the Republic of Vietnam (1968-69). While serving with Task Force Loss Accountability, he worked alongside Israeli Defense Forces during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He commanded the 227th Maintenance Battalion (1978-79) and the 6th Support Center (1979-80), both with the 19th Support Command, 8th U.S. Army in Korea; later he commanded the 2nd Support Command (Corps), VII Corps, U.S. Army Europe (1985-87) in Stuttgart, West Germany. John was a renowned expert in depot management. He commanded the New Cumberland Army Depot, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania (1981-83) and the Defense Construction Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio (1987-90). He also played an instrumental roll in reforming and reorganizing logistics procedures here and abroad while serving with Army Materiel Command (AMC) and in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (DCSLOG). As the first Commander of the newly activated Defense Commissary Agency (DECA) at Fort Lee, Virginia, from 1990 to 1993, John led and completed the merger of four separate and unique Service commissary systems into one efficient worldwide agency - which has had a positive and lasting impact on the lives of all Service members, retirees, Veterans, and their Families in the years since. John retired as a Major General in 1993. In retirement, he enjoyed being Chairman of the Board for the Melbourne area Senior Adventures in Learning (SAIL) program for more than a decade John was very active in the Catholic community. Along with his wife Lurana, he was honored to be a founding member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church where he also served as an usher and reader. John was an avid golfer and loved all sports, especially those played by the University of Notre Dame and the Ohio State University. He loved being a member of the Indian River Colony Club (IRCC) golf course and spent many years enjoying the company of great friends in that community. He enjoyed cheering his sons and grandchildren in soccer, baseball, and softball sporting events. Funeral Mass to be held on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 11 AM at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 5655 Stadium Parkway, Viera, FL 32940 with interment at 2:30 PM at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery at 5525 US-1, Mims, FL 32754. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Grotto Fund at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Viera, Florida.