Obituary of John Michael Iaquessa Jr.

John Michael Iaquessa Jr. 74, of Steuben, Maine died Monday, October 23, 2023 at his home. He was the husband of Elizabeth Smith Iaquessa. John was born in New Haven on September, 28, 1949, son of the late John Michael and Gloria (Piasecki) Iaquessa of Short Beach. John spent many years as a mechanic. Years ago, he was the co-owner of Better Auto Repair in Branford and the service manager at Pilot's Point Marina in Westbrook, Connecticut. John loved both the salt and fresh water and enjoyed spending time clamming, crabbing, squid fishing, and fishing for anything he could catch and eat. John was a fabulous cook and enjoyed sharing his love of seafood and family recipes with others. He was proud of his Italian and Polish heritage and loved to teach his family how to cook his grandmother Sophie's famous pierogies. John loved to travel and New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine were some of his favorite places. John was extremely talented and could fix, build, and repair anything. Besides his wife Liz, he is survived by his children, Dawn McNamara of Branford, and Jai Iaquessa (Brenda) of Clinton, four grandchildren, Devin and Tyler McNamara of Branford, and Nikos and Carly Iaquessa of Clinton. He is also survived by his siblings, Michael Iaquessa of South Carolina, and Robert and Thomas Iaquessa of Branford. He was predeceased by his sister Mary Iaquessa-Dengler and a brother Ronald Iaquessa. Family and friends are invited to meet and attend at a graveside service on Friday, November 24, 2023 at 10:30 AM in All Saints Cemetery, 700 Middletown Ave., North Haven CT. Please go directly to the cemetery office. Services are under the care of the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home & Cremation Service, East Haven CT.