John R. DeMarco
By Emily J. Minor
HIGHLAND BEACH — John R. DeMarco, who left his beloved Long Island in 1989 to retire to Highland Beach, died Jan. 12 surrounded by his family. He was 85.
Mr. DeMarco’s daughter, Judy Maresca, called her father “the salt of the earth who would give anyone the shirt of his back.”
“He was gentle and he was caring,” she said. “Family was the most important thing in the world to him.”
Born and raised in the Navy Yard section of Brooklyn, Mr. DeMarco was one of five children.
At 17, he joined the U.S. Army and was part of the war team that came ashore on Normandy Beach. “He was right there in the thick of it,” his daughter said.
After the war, he met his wife, Inez, through mutual friends at a New Year’s Eve party. At the time, Mr. DeMarco was studying accounting at St. John’s University in Brooklyn. The couple married in February 1950 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year.
During his professional years, Mr. DeMarco took the Long Island Rail Road into the Manhattan, where he worked for several different accounting firms, eventually retiring in 1986. The following year the couple bought their home in Highland Beach and moved to Florida in 1989.
“He never wanted to come to Florida, but there was no taking him out of the state once he got a taste of it,” said his daughter.
During his years in Highland Beach, Mr. DeMarco served on the board at the Coronado condominiums. He also gave his time and expertise to the town, serving on the Highland Beach finance committee.
Mr. DeMarco had been in failing health in recent years, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said his daughter, who said her father was hospitalized shortly before his death.
A man of devout Catholic faith, Mr. DeMarco was an everyday fixture at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach until his recent hospitalization, attending Mass and helping set up services nearly every morning.
“He was just a gem of a friend and a father,” his daughter said. “He was warm and caring and was everyone’s inspiration.”
Mr. DeMarco was buried with military honors at Our Lady Queen of Peace Mausoleum in Royal Palm Beach.
Besides his wife and daughter, survivors include three sons, John, James and Jeffrey. He also is survived by seven grandchildren.
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