John Kevin McCaffrey passed away Aug. 24, 2025, peacefully in Baltimore, MD, at age 79.
He was born Aug. 6, 1946, to Raphael and Florence McCaffrey in New York City, and raised in the Corona neighborhood in Queens, where in 1964 he attended the first baseball game at Shea Stadium, built just down the street from his house.
That same year, as a senior in high school, he met the love of his life, Aleta, who was his chemistry lab partner, and they married in 1969. John attended Quincy College in IL, graduating with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Biology; he worked in many industries in sales, marketing, and management.
A brief stint working on Wall Street developed a love of stock trading and studying company financials. It was also in college that John developed a love for debate and politics, and became a conservative Republican – a journey that included running for NY state assemblyman in 1971. John was always active in his community and spent most of his free time volunteering with a variety of groups. He and Aleta raised their four children in Putnam Valley, NY, where John was a member of Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department for 30 years. Upon moving to West Virginia, he joined the Rupert Volunteer Fire Department.
In recent years, John was very involved in Rotary club, church activities, snacks and packs for western Greenbrier schools, and others. A lifelong Catholic, he and Aleta were members of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church congregation in Rainelle.
Aside from volunteering and family, John collected stamps, coins, and was a tropical fish hobbyist, keeping several tanks of fish for most of his life, and won many trophies for his tank setups in the 1970s, traveling to “fish shows” in New York and New Jersey. He was fond of Boston Terriers (all of his were named “Perry”), and he enjoyed watching the wildlife on their property in Rupert.
Over the decades, he and Aleta enjoyed tent camping, and they lived simply and enjoyed country living. He is remembered by his family as being generous and a gentle soul. John was preceded in death by his parents, his older brothers Ray and Bob, and his beloved wife and “podner” Aleta.
He is survived by his four children John, Diane, Dan, and Flo, and nine grandchildren, Robyn, Katie, Callie, Rebecca, Serena, Clarabelle, Grace, Talia, and McLuhan. John supported donations to St Jude’s hospital and the SMILE Nursing scholarship at Quincy University (in honor of Aleta), amongst others.
Services will be held at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 30, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at Springdale with Monsignor Kevin Quirk officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation for friends will be 9 until 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at Wallace & Wallace Chapel, Rainelle, WV.
Online condolences may be made to wallaceandwallacefh.com
