John Joseph Grieco

John Joseph Grieco, 74, of New Hartford, CT, passed away November 16, 2024. He was the husband of Deborah (Laigle) Grieco for 53 years.

He was born May 4, 1950, to the late Thomas W. and Viola (Bontempo) Grieco of Torrington, CT. He attended Torrington area schools and graduated with a Business Degree from Northwestern Connecticut Community College.

After a career in sales and sales training, he followed his passion and along with his wife, owned and operated the Old Carriage Shop Antique Center in Bantam, CT for 20 years. He was a self-taught furniture restorer and spent many a long hour using his craft to transform a tattered piece of antique furniture back to its’ once upon a time glory. One such piece was a badly damaged, hand-carved European chair used by the late-stage actor John Barrymore in the 1922 Broadway production of Hamlet. In the 1930’s Barrymore donated the chair to the NYC Players Club, where it remained hidden in the basement until a club member rescued the chair and brought it to John for restoration. John was later honored to participate in the celebrated rededication ceremony of the refurbished chair.

Not one to sit idle in his retirement, he devoted his time to sculpting and nurturing his vast woodland gardens. He delighted in sharing his love of native plants with the many friends and neighbors who often wandered through.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters Tia Battiston (husband Gregory) of Simsbury, CT and Corrin Warner (husband Silas) of West Hartford, CT; grandchildren Bergen and Brendan Battiston, Graydon Reilly, and Callum Warner; goddaughters Annika Kumar of Avon, CT and Avery Moon of Raleigh, NC.

There are no calling hours. A gathering of friends and family to honor John’s life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org)