John A. Hession, aged 76, beloved husband of Ann Hession, passed away Sunday, December 11 in Sandwich, MA, surrounded by his family following a courageous battle against cancer. He was born on November 22, 1946 in Boston, MA to the late Gertrude and George Hession.
John graduated from Catholic Memorial and received his degree from Boston College in 1968. He founded Hession and Pare, CPA of Manchester, NH where his remarkable dedication to personal relationships distinguished his work with clients.
John’s generosity of spirit emerged in multitudinous civic and volunteer roles in Manchester and Chatham, MA. Two that gave him tremendous joy were his service at Elliot Health Systems and the Cape Cod Senior Softball League. His strong character and business acumen supported the community stewardship of these organizations.
Outgoing and energetic, John followed in life the old adage, “There are no strangers, only friends we haven’t met yet.” Favorite pastimes in Manchester included lunch with his closest friends where he loved to banter about politics, books, culture, and sports. He also cherished morning coffee at Lighthouse beach with his community of friends in Chatham.
And while he deployed countless hours to work and community engagement, his greatest dedication was to his family and home. The “World’s Greatest Dad” went above and beyond supporting his children in their academic and athletic pursuits. He loved traveling to hockey rinks, baseball and softball fields, and the various schools that hosted his children’s games throughout New England. At home, he loved equally the quiet pleasure of tending to flowers and the noisy racket of hedge clippers. The arrival of grandchildren saw him able to enjoy another round of kid play, game watching, and story-telling. A devoted husband and dexterous breakfast chef, a secret pleasure for John was making Ann breakfast and then sharing various sections of the newspaper together. He loved to end the day with Ann watching a Cape Cod sunset.
In addition to his wife, Ann, he is survived by his son, Matthew Hession and his wife Rebecca of Andover, MA and daughter, Katharine Hession Hoar and her husband Samuel Hoar of Concord, MA; his cherished grandchildren, Will, Nelly, McKenzie, and Emerson; his brother, G. Robert Hession and his wife Alice, and his sisters, Mary Sewall and Theresa Sorrentino; and cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring for relatives and friends.