John Hughes

died unexpectedly at home in Fletcher, NC, on September 23, 2018, at the age of 71. John is survived by his mother, Dorothy Hughes of Elmira; his wife and best friend, Grace Hughes; children, Edward (Linda) Hughes of Marlton, NJ; Karen (Jeremy) Wheadon and their children, Emily and Elise of Pine City; Kathy Hughes of Elmira; Elizabeth (Adam) Copeland and their children, Lyric and Ruby of Asheville, NC; and Erik (Shena) Kocianski and their child Tyler, of Fletcher, NC; his sisters, and their families, Elizabeth Dayne of Elmira; Jean Hughes of Elmira, Susan (Kenneth) Frazee of Elmira, Patricia (Thomas) Corcoran of Elmira, Mary Ellen Wasielewski of Boston, MA, and Margaret (Lynn) Morseman of Elmira; and by his dear friend of over 65 years, John Overton of Elmira. John was born on November 10, 1946, in Elmira to Dorothy Hughes and the late Edward Hughes. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1964 and then served in the Navy from 1964-1967. John graduated from St. Joseph's Hospital X-ray School and, after a year in Ohio, spent his entire career as an X-ray Technician and CT scan Technician at St. Joseph's Hospital. Throughout his life, John was an active member of the Catholic Church. He attended and then led Cursillo groups and attended church serves nearly daily for most of his adult life. He loved his family, a good beer, jazz music, debating politics, driving the Blue Ridge Mountains and photographing nature. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary's Church, 224 Franklin Street, Elmira, on Friday October 5, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. Interment, with committal prayers and military honors, will follow at St. Peter & Paul's Cemetery. A gathering will then take place at the Hibernian Club, 701 Kinyon Street, Elmira. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association, 3500 Winton Place, Rochester NY 14623, or Asheville VA Medical Center, 1100 Tunnel Road, Asheville NC 28805.