Obituary of John William Gioscio

John W. Gioscio

Nov 11, 1935 to Oct 3, 2017

Elkhart – John Gioscio, 81, passed away Tuesday, October 3 at Woodland Manor in Elkhart.  He was born on November 11, 1935 to Ferdinand and Elizabeth (Mellon) Gioscio in Indianapolis both who preceeded him in death.  He was united in marriage to Janet M. Wood, who preceded him in death in 1998.     He is survived by his 4 children,  Vicki Schwab (Steve) of South Bend; Fred of Indianapolis; John (Liz) of  Yucca Valley, CA and Jeffrey (Mary Ann) of Zionsville,  and 6 grandchildren, Dominic Schwab of Chicago, Maria Schwab of Indianapolis, Annmarie Gioscio of Yucca Valley, CA;   Joseph Gioscio (Julie) stationed in HI with the U.S. Marines; Noah Gioscio and Jonah Gioscio, both of  Zionsville; 3 nephews, Michael Collisi of Reddington Shores, FL; David Collisi (Jane) of Coatesville and Steve (Leanna) Collisi of Roachdale along with many great nieces, great nephews and cousins. 

John grew up on the east side of Indianapolis and was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church where he also attended grade school and was an altar server.  In  1953 he graduated from Arsenal Technical High School. 

On November 10, 1956, he married Janet M. Wood at St. Michael the Archangel parish and a few years later they moved to the west side of Indianapolis where he lived until his wife’s death in 1998.     Shortly after her death, he moved to South Bend to be closer to his daughter and her family, relocating his business, Gioscio Painting and Decorating which he had established in 1973. 

A great love of art particularly Italian Renaissance style was instilled in John by his grandfather, a fresco painter who had passed away before John was born.  Many people remarked at John’s arsenal of knowledge in the field of history.  It was often said that John knew so much about history that he could have been a college professor, he just didn’t have the proper paperwork.  His one regret was not having a college degree.  John’s family, large and Italian, were early immigrants to Indianapolis and were featured in a public television program which focused on Indianapolis Italians in the early 20th century. He was very honored to be a part of this because he was so proud of his Italian heritage. John tried as often as he could to go to daily Mass and to be a daily communicant.