John C. Fee IV

Survived by his loving family and many friends including devoted wife of nearly 25 years, Carol Valencia-Fee; daughters Erica Fee (John Holden) and Meaghan (Justin) Spencer; grandchildren Brooklynn, Colton, and Kendall Spencer and Johnny and Jackson Holden; sisters Mary (Jon) Spacher, Elizabeth (Robert) Krieg (South Bend, IN), Peggy Fee, Ellen Fee (Jody Solpietro); Lucy (Jim) Vergo (La Porte, IN); cherished nieces and nephews; cousins from the Benn, Brady, Friedler, Duffy, Tibbitts, Colbert, and Schuyler families; and many close friends including his beloved “Salamanca Savages and Savagejetters”.

He was predeceased by his parents Jack and Margaret Fee and brothers Francis and Joseph.
John grew up in Fairport and was a proud graduate of McQuaid Jesuit (Class of 1966) and St. Bonaventure University (Class of 1970.) He conducted his postgraduate work at RIT (MBA, 1981) and Nazareth University (MS, 2003).

His professional career included the Diocese of Rochester Catholic Schools; his family’s firm Fee Brothers, for whom he set up the majority of their distributors on the Eastern seaboard; and many years as a New York Life agent -- but his true calling was teaching. To that profession, he proudly returned and served as a teacher through the New York State Department of Corrections until retirement.

John was known for his strong intellectual curiosity, razor-sharp wit, and boundless energy for new cultures, people, and experiences. His love of travel and his zeal for new adventures led to him visiting all 50 states and he always had a new trip in the works. His parties with Carol were successful international gatherings -- of which even the U.N. would have been jealous -- and centered on such heady academic themes as a tribute to the works of Thomas Crapper, a celebration of Pluto’s status (or non-status) as a planet, and “The Party about Nothing.” But, above all, he was known for his generosity of spirit and his desire to leave the world better than he had found it.
The family would like to express gratitude to Dr. Ruth Schneider’s Team at Strong Neurology for guidance through the challenging journey of a Parkinson’s diagnosis and to the staff at The Friendly Home for providing comfort and dignity in his final years.

Calling hours will be held Friday, June 21, 2024 from 5:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Crawford Funeral Home, 495 N. Winton Road. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 12:00 P.M. at St. John of Rochester, 8 Wickford Way, Fairport, NY. Interment to immediately follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations in John’s memory be made to the Rochester Fringe Festival, P.O. Box 10508, Rochester, NY 14610 or St. Bonaventure University, 3261 West State Road, St. Bonaventure, NY 14778.

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