John Henry Anthony Rossetti

John Henry Anthony Rossetti, 85, died peacefully at his home in Harwich, MA on January 9, 2025, after a battle with cancer.
John was born in West Roxbury, MA. He attended Boston College High School and graduated from Boston College in 1961. In 1964, he obtained an M.Ed. and taught high school in Massachusetts schools before moving to Baghdad, Iraq, in 1966, where he taught English as a lay teacher at the Jesuit-run al-Hikma University during the 1966-67 academic year. Due to political volatility in the Middle East, he was obliged to return after only one year. Following his return to Massachusetts, he worked for twenty-five years in health care administration, including at Boston City Hospital (now Boston Medical Center) and other health care facilities in the area. In his early fifties, he entered the Somerville School of Nursing and graduated with a nursing degree. He then worked as a registered nurse at Medfield State Hospital and at private facilities for several years. After retiring, he and his wife moved to Harwich in 2009.
For a number of years, he served as a member of the Dover Historical Commission and Dover Conservation Commission in Dover, MA, as well as a member of the Harwich Conservation Commission in Harwich. He enjoyed a number of hobbies and interests: he loved to work outdoors and tended a flourishing backyard garden. He was also a talented painter of landscapes, a passion he found time to develop in his retirement. He loved crossword puzzles, genealogical research, and fine dining. His time in Iraq stimulated a lifelong love of international travel, from the Middle East to South America and Europe. He particularly loved visiting Ireland, where his maternal roots were, as well as Italy. He was a loving son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather who was devoted to his family.
John is survived by his wife Mary of 54 years. He is also survived by his older son John (Chip), his wife Jessica Papin, and grandsons Henry and John, of Cranford, NJ; by his daughter Mary Pastorello, her husband Cristian, and granddaughters Tullia and Daria, of Geneva, IL; and his son Joseph, of Reading, MA. He was predeceased by his sister Geraldine.
A memorial service will be held to honor John at a later date. The family is most grateful for the compassionate care John received from the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center, the VNA Hospice of Cape Cod, and the Patti O’Donnell Home Care Agency. Donations can be made to the Harwich Conservation Trust and the VNA Hospice of Cape Cod.