Obituary of John Michael DeRosa

John Michael DeRosa, a loving husband and father and lifelong Burlington resident, passed away suddenly, surrounded by his family, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.  He was 54 years old.  John was born in Medford, the son of Anthony and Gloria DeRosa.  He grew up in Burlington and was a member of the Burlington High School Class of 1987. 

John had several careers over the years.  He started his work life at the age of 14 at Concord Caterers. He always said that this was his most enjoyed job, telling endless stories about the times he had there.  The work environment was for young adults and the camaraderie, memories, and antics were all memorable.  John then entered the adult working world at MIT Lincoln Labs where he handled classified documents.  Following his time at Lincoln Labs, John went on to work for Corcoran Jennison in their property management division.  He did that for a number of years before taking a position at Verizon as a technician climbing telephone poles.  At Verizon he was the treasurer of his union and played a big role in organizing fundraisers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  He retired a number of years ago because of kidney disease.

John’s life revolved around his family and his dogs.  He was the devoted husband to his wife, high school sweetheart, and love of his life, Susan, for 29 years.  As a couple, they grew as they became parents and battled together to deal with John’s health issues. He was also the loving father of Jake, Jessica and Tommy.  John was completely involved in his children’s lives.  He was at every school event, dance recital, and all of their sporting events.  He coached their softball, baseball, and Pop Warner football teams, and taught CCD at Saint Margaret’s.  John was so proud of their achievements and the people that they have become.  While involved in Burlington Baseball and Softball, he served on the Board of Directors and as President for two years. 

As a family, there were many memorable vacations to Disney World, Niagara Falls, Cape Cod, North Conway, his brother’s lake house in Maine, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas.  Those were memories his family will now cherish.  When John had good health, he was an avid snowmobiler and owned a Harley Davidson.  He loved playing the drums and was thrilled to be invited to jam with his nephew Rocco and his band.  He loved music.  His favorite band was U2.  He went to concerts every time they toured in the Boston area, and sometimes made road trips to see them in different venues around the country.  John had a love of Boston sports, especially the Bruins. He never missed a game and loved to watch them with his children. John’s health declined to the point where he needed a kidney transplant.  In 2013, a dear friend, Kevin McGillivray, donated one of his kidneys to John.  That gave John 10 more wonderful years spent with his family.  He saw his children graduate from high school and college, become adults, and created memories that they now hold on to dearly.  John left his family and friends with heavy hearts. However, he also left them with memories of a man of strength, a big heart, a jokester, and most importantly, someone filled with love for his family and friends.

John was the beloved husband of Susan (Fantasia) DeRosa for 29 years.  He was the proud father of Jake, Jessica and Tommy DeRosa of Burlington.  He was the devoted son of the late Anthony and Gloria DeRosa.  He was the brother of Anthony DeRosa & his wife Lorraine of Hampstead, NH, and Rocky DeRosa & his wife Peggy of Davenport, FL.  He was a special cousin to Frank and Jean Lombardo of Billerica.  He was the son-in-law of Vincent and Joan Fantasia of Burlington.  He was the brother-in-law of Linda and Ed McCann of Merrimack, NH, Carol & Robert Shaw of Andover, and Laura Fantasia & her late husband Ed Ryan of Scituate.  John was also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington on Wednesday, May 31 from 4-7 p.m. Funeral from the Sullivan Funeral Home on Thursday, June 1 at 9am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Margaret’s Church in St. Veronica Parish, www.stveronicama.org, 111 Winn Street, Burlington at 10am.  Services will conclude with a burial in Pine Haven Cemetery in Burlington. 

Memorials in John’s name may be made to the National  Kidney Foundation, www.kidney,org,  209 W. Central St., Natick, MA 01760. 

For on-line guestbook and video tribute see sullivanfuneralhome.net