John Criscione

John was born on September 9, 1924, the youngest of eight children to Italian immigrant parents. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 249th Division, under Patton’s 3rd Army, where he specialized in building pontoon bridges.

After the war, John married Mary Frances Marino in 1949. They were married for 72 years and raised four children together. He earned a PhD in chemistry from Purdue University and contributed to national defense by working on the Trident and Poseidon missile systems.

Today, John lives in Parma, where he hosts Sunday dinners for his family. A proud parishioner of St. Bridget of Kildare, he attends Mass every Sunday and has recently taken up bread baking as a hobby.