John A. DiGennaro

John Angelo DiGennaro

July 29, 1944 – September 4, 2025

John Angelo DiGennaro, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, camp director, and friend, passed away on September 4, 2025. He was 81 years old.

John was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 29, 1944. He was a proud graduate of Xavier High School and Villanova University and went on to earn a Master's degree from Manhattan College. Aside from his childhood in Brooklyn, John also lived in Rockaway Beach, New York, Sea Cliff, New York, and New Milford, Connecticut.

John worked for the New York City Board of Education as a teacher, assistant principal, and the head of the Adult Continuing Education (ACE) program. John also worked as a private tutor on Kings Highway for a man named Stanley Kaplan (before his SAT prep classes). Wanting more for himself and his young family, John answered a New York Times ad to buy a camp franchise in Brooklyn. John purchased the franchise for $500 and became the Executive Director of Young People's Day Camp (YPDC) of Brooklyn.

In an attempt to separate from his competition, John is credited with introducing the traveling day camp to the parents of Brooklyn. The idea was a massive success as YPDC Brooklyn became one of the largest private day camps in the city. The campers, counselors, parents, drivers, and even his own children affectionately began calling John, Mister D. Mister D. owned and operated YPDC Brooklyn for 47 summers, providing a unique camping experience to over 15,000 children, all wearing their iconic YPDC smiley face t-shirts.

John had a wicked sense of humor. No topic was off limits, and no time or place was inappropriate. He believed that if something was funny, it needed to be said. He loved Benny Hill, Bob Newhart, and Rodney Dangerfield. John also enjoyed technology and was always one of the first in the neighborhood to have a VCR, microwave, CD player, car phone, VR, etc., oftentimes paying exorbitant introductory prices for not yet fully developed technology and then angrily cursing at the machines when they didn't work as promised. In the '80s, he bought a drink-serving robot but was disappointed with its performance.

John loved watching college basketball, especially his beloved Villanova Wildcats. He was a fan of the Knicks and Mets, but he loved the New York Football Giants. One of the greatest moments of his life was attending Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena, helping cheer the Giants to victory. He also loved betting on football. On weekend mornings in the fall, John could be found at his kitchen table, smoking Benson & Hedges cigarettes while studying the college and pro lines in the local newspapers. John was a disciplined gambler who also loved playing the horses and heading to the casinos to play the slots. A former standout athlete, John was competitive. For years, he bowled for Sand Box Bootery in the Businessmen's Bowling League, always saving his top performance for the Thanksgiving win-a-turkey contest.

John loved dogs and spent most of the last 20 years with Finn and then Chauncey. He would spend weeks at a time with them in Connecticut. John loved being in Connecticut, where he was most peaceful. He loved decorating the house for Christmas and hosting a Christmas party for his children and grandchildren every year. John still believed in Santa.

John loved sandwiches and could eat one for every meal. He also loved egg creams, coffee, a good steak, cream soda, a Manhattan up with dirty rocks on the side, and chocolate bars. At the grocery store, while others were checking fruit for ripeness, John could be found in the chocolate aisle checking Hershey's with Almonds bars for the best distribution of nuts.

John was a child at heart. He loved waterplay and always kept a Super Soaker close by. His favorite day of the year at his camps was "Water Day," a 500-person, three-hour water fight. John had a mini marshmallow gun that he would shoot at his grandchildren, a remote-controlled treat dispenser for his dogs, a juke box, a pinball machine, a battery-operated twirling fork for spaghetti consumption, a fart machine, a bagel guillotine, a musical car horn, and more. John loved to show off his toys and gadgets, always eliciting laughs from everyone around him. We will miss this laughter.

John is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Debra; his three children, Samantha, Gretchen, and Christian; his son-in-law Joe; his six grandchildren—Sofia, Alexandra, Olivia, Luca, Leonardo, and Luciana; his step-daughters Kristen and Taylor, and his five step-grandchildren Giana, Victoria, E.J., Lillianna, and Charley. John is pre-deceased by his parents, Nicolette and Angelo, and his sister Frances (Joe).

We will all remember John for his warmth, humor, and unconditional love.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Be Kind For Kaitlyn Foundation. A charity created to honor the life of John's great niece, Kaitlyn Bernhardt, who lost her battle with Osteosarcoma seven years ago. Donations will benefit the Cohen's Children's Hospital. Additionally, some donations will be used to support a charity run by John's granddaughters, Sofia, Ali, and Olivia, called Say Boo to Pediatric Cancer. Children in the hospital, and their siblings, will receive Halloween goody bags.