John James "Jack" Lavin

John ""Jack"" Lavin, 73, of North Venice, FL passed away April 12, 2015. Jack was born November 20, 1941 in Manhattan, NY to Florence (Martin) and James Lavin. He went to Regis High School on scholarship - He transferred to Cardinal Hayes High School to finish and graduate. He attended NYU at night as he was working his first job at Metropolitan Life Insurance. He finished his Masters Degree and his time in the National Guard two months before their son Jim was born in December 1970. He changed jobs to work for ABC in Manhattan, helping plan system programs. After moving to Houston, TX and working for Occidental Petroleum for three very long years. As I was not overjoyed with living in Texas, he was able to get a job through his former boss and we moved to West Milford, NJ, living for about 25-30 years on High Crest Lake. After working for American Cyanamid in Wayne, NJ about 15 years, Jack decided to take an early retirement at age 53. This gave him the additional 20 years of life. After a few months rental in a condo in Venice, FL, we decided to buy the first house we saw in the Venetian Golf and River Club. We made that instant decision and never looked back. We have been so happy here and met some wonderful people who after 10 years have become ""Our Family"". We played a little golf the first years but gave up that for more fun things like sitting in the shade by the jetty and looking at the Gulf, eating lunch and watching the water, sipping our wine on our patio. We became very active in our River Club and made many friends we enjoyed seeing every week for happy hour. Jack joined with men a poker group and met religiously every two weeks on a Thursday night at friends' homes. He greatly enjoyed those nights out with ""the boys"" and hated giving them up when his cancer took over his body. We loved the area and enjoyed finding new restaurants and eating out as a couple lunch or dinner sipping a delicious wine at our romantic table for two. His great joy in life was to have his son Jim and daughter Beth (and her husband Jason) visit but his eyes shown brightly when his three grandchildren Colin -12, Jackson - 10, and Holden -6 were with him and giving him big hugs. I am so grateful for those last years we had together to travel to many destinations we liked. I have some beautiful memories and tons of pictures to keep that time alive for me. He will be missed by family and friends here and in the North East. He is preceded in death by his sisters, Florence and Jane and his twin sister, Jill. Survivors include his beloved wife, Therese Lavin and his 75-year-old brother, Jerry and Jerry's lovely mate, Judy, who still live in Jack's beloved Manhattan. He has many family members in Queens and Long Island. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, April 17 at Epiphany Cathedral. Inurnment will be in NJ at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations may be made to TideWell Hospice, 5955 Rand Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34238 or The American Lung Association, 8950 Dr. MLK Jr. Street N., Ste 205, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.