A funeral mass was held at St. Aidan’s Church last Friday for long-time Williston Park resident John McArdle, who died on Dec. 28 after a long illness. He was 89 years old.
McArdle served in the Navy Air Force in the South Pacific during World War II and was an active member of the Williston Park Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1688 and the American Legion Post 144.
He became a New York City Fireman after the war, serving as a firefighter for 25 years before he retired. And after his retirement he volunteered his time at the American Legion Post as a handyman, according to his daughter, Marilyn Doughty.
“He could make something out of nothing,” she said.
McArdle’s wife, Frances, died in 1974, leaving him as a single parent to continue raising his three daughters and one son.
“His family was his life,” Doughty said. “He did everything for us.”
At the funeral mass on Friday, a color guard of firemen were on hand to salute his flag-draped coffin as it was brought into the church. A lone bagpiper played a somber musical salute.
The opening hymn of the mass was Amazing Grace as members of the family followed the coffin down the main aisle of St. Aidan’s, where McArdle was a long-time parishioner.
During his homily, Rev. Monsignor James McDonald said he remembered McArdle as a member of the parish over 52 years.
“That’s a lot of masses,” McDonald said.
McDonald reminded McArdle’s family and friends that “what we celebrate when we celebrate John’s life is being with Christ, going home,” and he counseled all present to be kind and compassionate to one another.
The Ave Maria was sung before the communion in the early morning service that was well attended by members of the community.
McArdle’s son Jerome, who delivered a eulogy near the end of the service, began by saying, “My father wore many hats.”
One that he never put away was his firefighter helmet, which was prominently displayed during the wake at the Weigand Funeral Home on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park.
“Up to his death, he felt like he was a firefighter,” Jerome McArdle said. “He was probably the toughest man I ever met in my life.”
McArdle spoke of his father’s “inner strength” and described him as a “great husband” to his late wife.
“I know he loved his family, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren,” McArdle said.
John McArdle was a simple man who always wore flannel shirts, his daughter Marilyn recalled. Marilyn and her husband, Ron, are co-owners of Williston Plumbing in Williston Park.
She remembered a father who had a dry sense of humor and liked to read. He also enjoyed watching football, baseball and “Wheel of Fortune.”
But above all, as her brother indicated in his eulogy, she remembered a father who was devoted to his family.
McArdle is survived by his daughters Marilyn and Donna, and his son Jerome, and his brother Ben, and sisters Lillian and Dorothy. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Interment at the Long Island National Cemetery followed the funeral mass at St. Aidan.
