John F. Fracchia, age 89, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Absolut Care–Three Rivers in Painted Post.

John was the son of John Paul and Mary Marchesi Fracchia. He is survived by his loving wife, Barbara Meekins Fracchia; his children, John R. Fracchia and wife Nancy Kane of Ithaca, NY; Susanne M. Fracchia of Henrietta, NY; Gabrielle L. Lee and husband Mike Robinson of Horseheads, NY; and Daniel J. Fracchia and wife Karen of Horseheads, NY; grandchildren Corey Maltsev, Brandon Peek (Yesii Perez), Kate, Luke, and Daniel B. Fracchia and Tyler Robinson; as well as his cousins Regina LaMarca and husband Fred, Al Bonomolo, Thelma Kurth, and many nieces and nephews.

John was born in Long Island City, NY, and grew up in East Meadow, NY. He attended Hofstra University, earning his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Psychology. After completing his master’s degree, he taught at Hofstra University before joining the New York State Office of Mental Health as a researcher, first at Central Islip Psychiatric Center and later at Stony Brook University. His collaborative work with Dr. Charles Shepphard and Dr. Sidney Merlis was widely published in professional journals.

In 1978, John and his family moved to the Elmira area when he accepted the position of Director of Program Evaluation for the NYS Office of Mental Health at Elmira Psychiatric Center. His career later included service at Willard Psychiatric Center until his retirement in 1998. In retirement, he continued teaching and consulting, often with his close friend Hank Bender, and served as an adjunct lecturer at Elmira College for nearly 20 years. He was especially proud to serve as Elmira College’s first Director of Institutional Research, playing a significant role in the College’s Middle States reaccreditation efforts.

In his younger years, John enjoyed playing tennis and following New York sports teams, particularly the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. He was an avid card player and for many years hosted a regular Wednesday evening poker game. Later in life, he developed an enthusiasm for NASCAR and could often be found at Watkins Glen with his son, Dan. He loved walking his dogs and had a special fondness for his loyal companion, Max.

John was a devout Catholic and served at Our Lady of Lourdes parish as a Eucharistic Minister and CCD instructor.

First and foremost, John considered himself a scientist and researcher. As a final gift, he chose to donate his body to medical science.

A Memorial Mass and Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Those wishing to remember John may make a donation to Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) at breakthroughT1D.org.