John Patrick “Fig” Tanso, age 61, of Somerville passed away on Saturday, December 17th. A lifelong Somerville resident, he was the son of the late Patrick R. Tanso Jr. and Joan (Fitzpatrick) Tanso. John was the dear brother of Patricia Tanso of Somerville. He was the dear brother of Patrick Tanso and the loving uncle of Nicholas Tanso of Florida and Alex Tanso of Massachusetts. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
John recently moved from his family home in East Somerville to the other end of the city, where he started getting to know his new surroundings as well as the neighbors in the community. He started to enjoy social gatherings as well, attending a family reunion down The Cape, a birthday party, lunch with cousins and weekly visits with his sister. John was active on Facebook, reaching out to people he knew and cared about.
The simplest pleasures in life brought joy to John. He was an avid sports fan with knowledge of all the teams, pro as well as college. He loved sitting back to watch his favorite teams or tune into sports radio for the latest news. Although he had some struggles getting around, he still would take his walks around the city. Growing up he was nicknamed “Fig.” Many a time he would bump into someone and be greeted with a fist pump or a shout out: “Hey Fig”! Conversations usually turned to what’s happening around the city – both past and present. It seemed everyone knew him!
John was devoted to his parents and was there for them until their passing. His love was undeniable. He cherished his two nephews and made a point to reach out to see how they were doing and was always happy to hear from them. John will be sorely missed by those who knew him, but there’s comfort in knowing he’s been reunited with his parents…RIP.
A memorial mass will be celebrated in St. Benedict Church, 21 Hathorne St., Somerville, on Wednesday, January 4th at 11:30 AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend and may visit with family in the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford on from 9:30 through 11 AM. Services will conclude with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in John’s name to the Colitis & Crohn's Foundation Of America, 72 River Park Street #202 Needham, MA 02494.