John Chooljian passed away peacefully on Friday March 26 at the age of 95 in the arms of the love of his life Valentina Siderenko. Loving father to Joan and husband Brian Perlman and John and wife Debbie Chooljian. Cherished “Papa John” to Corey, Lindsey, Zak, Amy and Dean. Former husband of the late Gladys Chooljian (Besharian). Son of the late Beatrice and Dikran Chooljian and brother of the late Eleanor Safarian (Chooljian). Born in Jersey City in 1925, his interest in music and radio were sparked at a very early age. He was captivated by the sounds of Jazz and the rich sound of the Big Bands; but before he could pursue that dream, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943. After graduating from Radio school, John was assigned to the LST-576 as a radio operator, and served in the Asiatic-Pacific theatre. He and the crew survived Pearl Harbor, and the invasions of Guam, New Guinea, Okinawa and Luzon. After enduring several deadly Typhoons, the ship left its last stop in Japan and headed back to the U.S. in 1946 to be decommissioned. He was incredibly proud to have received the Liberation of the Philippines Medal as well as the Distinguished Service Medal from the State of New Jersey, its highest Military Award. During the Clinton administration, John was retroactively promoted to the rank of Ensign for single-handedly shooting down an enemy plane. After the war, he received his pilot training and became a pilot for the Civil Air Patrol and worked as a Cargo Pilot for Meteor Air Transport. Over the years, his love of people led him to various sales jobs in radio communications and was an FCC licensed examiner. He became an accomplished Bass player and during 1950’s and 60’s he played with several bands and performed in Jazz clubs all around the N.Y.C. area. The highlights of his career were playing with The Johnny Carson band when it was originally in New York and sharing the stage with Les Paul and Mary Ford. His passion continued into his 80’s when he became a proud member of the Shriners String Band. In 2000, John was part of the USS LST Memorial project which lobbied Congress to acquire and restore the decommissioned USS LST-325 which had been transferred to the Greek Navy in 1964. In 2001 he and the other members of the ship’s crew flew to Greece and retrofitted the ship for its final voyage back to Evansville, Indiana. He was extremely passionate and proud to have participated in this project. He was a true example of the Greatest Generation and anyone who knew him in his later years saw him proudly wear his WWII Veterans cap which became his trademark. John was a lifetime member of the Masonic Lodge and in his later years his dear friend Bill Flynn always made sure he never missed a meeting. He was an active member of the Navy League and in 2001, he received the Marconi Gold Medal Achievement Award for preserving the traditions of maritime radio during the war. His life was filled with many interests which led to lifetime friendships along the way. Mike Surmick and Dr. John Griffin were his two younger sidekicks. The Ham Radio Club meetings, breakfasts at the diner, trips to the Dayton Airshow as well as many countless adventures always kept a smile on his face. If you saw one of these guys, the other two were usually not far behind. The meetings with the boys at Paramus Park always made him happy, especially when someone brought donuts. He cherished his son and daughter and gave them his passion for music. When the grandkids came along his life was complete. Although he sometimes had trouble expressing his emotions, both John and Joan always felt his deep love for them. Joan will miss his daily calls every morning for the past 30 years when he started every call with “Hello Sweetheart”. He was very proud of his son John and the family that he and Debbie raised. Like many veterans of World War II he somehow managed to put the terrible memories behind him and maintain a positive disposition and a smile on his face every day. Survived by his loving and devoted companion of 16 years, Valentina and John shared a love affair that kept him young and alive. Let’s hope that heaven has Lido’s pizza, B&W Crumb cake and Waffles on the menu because his love of food matched his love of life. Special Thanks to Dr. Hiie Gussak and Dr. Paul Wang who were not only his incredible Doctors over the years, but truly were his friends.
