John D. Grego

John D. Grego, age 95 of Cohoes, New York died on November 28th, 2023. Born on March 26th, 1928, he was the son of Victor and Edith Corona Grego. John attended Cohoes Public Schools, graduating from Cohoes High School in June 1945. After attending Albany College of Pharmacy for two years, he transferred to St. Bernardine of Siena College, as it was then known, graduating in 1949. During his school years John played saxophone and clarinet in both the high school and college bands. In 1951, John was drafted into the U.S. Army. After basic training, he was assigned to the Veterinary Service where he analyzed meat and dairy foods under contract to the U.S. Army at the 6th Army Hospital in San Pedro, California. After discharge, John enjoyed his employment at Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute (Rensselaer) for 39 years as an analytical chemist, specializing in gas chromatography. John was married to Diane Tittle and their marriage was blessed with two daughters, Arianna and Regina. The family enjoyed attending opera and classical music productions at the Lake George Opera and SPAC for many years as well as theater productions. John was an early and proud member of the Cohoes Citizens Committee, serving from 1962 to around 1985. He served his community as the last appointed member to the Cohoes City School Board, member of the Cohoes Housing Authority, and the Cohoes Catholic School Board. John was active in several capacities in St. Rita’s Parish, served many terms as a Trustee of the Cohoes Public Library and the Friends of the Cohoes Public Library. Throughout his lifetime, John enjoyed harness horse racing, especially racing his own horses during his retirement at Saratoga Raceway and Vernon Downs. He was a staunch supporter of the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame, serving on the Board of Directors and a member of the Goshen Museum and Harness Hall of Fame. John is survived by his wife, Diane; daughters Arianna Hirschman (Gordon) and Regina Grego (Al Rullo); sister-in-law Ann Vandervort; brother-in-law Henry Weinert; nephews Todd, Matthew and Michael; cousins Anne Marie Hamilton, Beverly Karpiak, James Corona, Sandi Ramroth, George Tofte, Lisa Welsh; close family friend David Hardy; and the dear Bourgeois, Fogarty and Philion families. There are no visitation hours and private services will be held at the convenience of the family. Interment will be held at St. Agnes Cemetery, Cohoes. In memory of John, contributions may be sent to Friars in Residence Fund at Siena College, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, New York 12211.

John D. Grego

March 26, 1928 - November 28, 2023