John Ross Geraci

John Ross Geraci, 77, died peacefully on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at Baystate Medical Center. Born on June 17, 1946, in Springfield, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late John and Bridget (Wrobel) Geraci.
John graduated from Springfield Technical High School. After working some time in Construction, he began his career with the Hampden County Sherriff’s Department in 1976. John rose to the rank of Lieutenant, serving in many roles and at a variety of facilities for almost five decades. After retiring John continued to work most recently at the Mill Street facility post-retirement until early 2023. A special highlight each year for John was attending and working the annual Sherriff’s picnic. He was dedicated to the Sheriff’s Department and spoke frequently of his pride and commitment to his profession and fellow colleagues.
John, a self-described “car guy”, had a life-long passion for all things cars, collecting and restoring too many to mention. John had a special interest in classic automobiles, especially Chevy’s. John was an avid NASCAR enthusiast and a dedicated fan of “Number 3”, the late Dale Earnhardt. John had an encyclopedic knowledge of automobiles and would impress his family driving down a street and routinely identify the make, model, and year of just about any car he passed by.
John greatly enjoyed being near the coast in Maine, building and improving three separate vacation homes there over many years. He had a soft spot for animals, having many family pets in the house over time.
John leaves behind and will be sadly missed by his beloved wife of 53 years Pauline (Batley) Geraci, his son John R. Geraci, his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Lane, stepsons Daniel Relihan (Helen) and Timothy Relihan (Amy), sister Linda Chiarizio (John), his nephew John Chiarizio, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren, especially his cherished granddaughter Bella Geraci.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 19th from 3-7 PM at Wilbraham Funeral Home, 2551 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA. A Prayer Service will take place at 5:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions will gratefully be accepted by the Dakin Humane Society, 171 Union St., Springfield, MA 01105 or the St. Jude Children Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.