John P. La Rosa, 92, a member of Local 802 since 1961, died on July 11, 2024 at his residence in Syosset, New York. He passed away after a six-month struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by his three loving children, their families, and two wonderful caregivers.

John was born on March 17, 1932 in Jackson Heights, New York, where he grew up as the only child of Maria Abruzzo La Rosa and John J. La Rosa Jr. As a youngster, he enjoyed playing stickball and following the Brooklyn Dodgers and, starting at age eight, studying piano. A resourceful teenager, he worked nights waxing floors with his Uncle Tony Abruzzo, saving money for the purchase of his first car and to put himself through college.

John attended New York City public schools, graduating William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens in 1951. He then attended City College of New York and graduated in 1956, receiving his B.A. with a major in psychology and minor in music. Shortly thereafter, he enrolled at the Julliard School of Music, taking advanced piano classes. He privately studied jazz piano with John Mehegan and Danny Hurd and classical piano with Alfred Thielkes.

Music was John’s life. As a young working musician John traveled to Brooklyn to manage a music store, where he also learned to play accordion, taught piano lessons in public schools, and played gigs wherever he got them. He was in his own jazz combo for a period of time  —  the Cozy Cole Trio. Over the years he played professionally in bands and orchestras large and small, including for a short while with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra. He played solo at university clubs, wedding receptions, and venues like the Waldorf Astoria and Tavern on the Green. For the better part of 65 years he enjoyed continuous work of this kind, making music until he was in his early 90s —  older even than many of the senior citizens he occasionally entertained.

John was a gifted musician. His playing was chromatically expressive, and his repertoire — including jazz standards and show tunes — was extensive. Throughout his life, John continued to study. As a little girl, John’s eldest daughter, Suzanne, vividly recalls hearing him in his studio, night after night, working at “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, a piece he played at Carnegie Recital Hall. John was a lifelong admirer of the composer.

John was a revered piano instructor. He had students young and old, including one named Dave Frank, who became a prominent jazz pianist. Frank warmly recalls meeting John thusly: “I first walked into John’s studio when I was 12. He was playing a blues riff. The rest, as they say, is history.” John’s three children were the beneficiaries of his joy in music and pedagogical skills. Car travel over summer vacation always meant time to practice their harmony skills, each singing a particular note in a chord or following a particular song line. Maybe not coincidentally, John’s middle child, Karen, sang for years with the New York Choral Society. John was ever a student of music theory, and its underlying importance was an emphasis of his every teaching session.

In 1975, John added to his portfolio of activities by selling music equipment out of his studio  —  keyboards, amplifiers, mixers, stands and related items. He began a long and fruitful association with Korg, becoming a trusted dealer until the time of his passing. John Passarelli, his associate at Korg, spoke highly of John’s passion for music and integrity as a dealer. John evolved with the keyboard industry, and prided himself on learning how to get the most of the instruments he sold. His customers praised the amount of support he offered, and favored him with repeat business. On hearing of John’s passing, one such customer spoke warmly of his relationship with John, observing that “John was a working musician who loved to help working musicians.” Another said that he trusted John’s knowledge of music and equipment implicitly, and that it had been a privilege to know him.

John was a student of music to the very end. He regularly engaged his son Gary John in a contest about songwriters, composers and lyricists. Sometimes Gary John won.

John had an inquisitive mind, which also found expression in his interest in etymology. He loved word play and puns almost as much, about which his family members endlessly teased him. John enjoyed watching television programs such as “Nova” on PBS, and old movies and contemporary films, especially if they starred Denzel Washington or Tom Hanks. He was a baseball fan to the end, having switched his allegiance to the Mets after the Dodgers defected to Los Angeles.

John was intensely proud of the accomplishments of his three children: Suzanne, a book publisher; Karen, a Sicily tour operator; and Gary John, a musical theatre director.

John met and married Denise Duclos of Montreal, Canada, and brought her to the United States in 1953. Her lovely singing voice may have enchanted him. Coincidentally, Denise’s mother, Gabrielle Duclos, was a concert pianist. Denise died in June 2012. John is survived by three children: Suzanne La Rosa and her partner Randall Williams of Montgomery, Alabama; Karen La Rosa and her husband Hugh Zurkuhlen of Manhattan; and Gary John La Rosa and his husband Philip Carrubba of Jackson Heights; and four grandchildren: Michael, Peter, and John Zurkuhlen and Julien Gifford.