John "Jack" P. Heinsohn

John P. Heinsohn, known to most as Jack, passed away at his home on Saturday, April 8th 2023. He leaves behind his wife of 40 years, Mary Semon and his daughter Joanna Heinsohn (h. Willliam Foland), as well as his sister Bettyann Heinsohn, and sister-in-law Joanne O'Neill.  He is predeceased by his son John R. Heinsohn, siblings Virginia Russo and Rich Heinsohn, brother-in-law (aka partner in crime) Tom O'Neill, and his beloved black lab, Zoe.  

Born and raised in Long Island, NY Jack lived a full and rich 86 years of life.  He worked a wide array of jobs until he delved into the world of technology and telecommunications in his later adult years, ending his professional tenure as the Director of NYS OGS Telecommunications Department in Albany, NY.  Jack enjoyed his work, especially at OGS, but most of all enjoyed his colleagues and the many hijinx they would pursue.  More than that though, Jack settled into the second chapter of his life when he retired in 1993 and with his daughter 7 years old at the time, he quickly morphed into the ultimate Stay-at-Home-Dad and Home Project Extraordinaire.  

Jack was a true Renaissance man who tinkered with everything and figured out solutions that others would not have considered.  He was a person who possessed encyclopedic knowledge and would have blown everyone away on his favorite show Jeopardy! had he been convinced to try out.  His knowledge was partly fueled by his voracious amount of reading and his experiences, particularly his extensive travels across the globe and the variety of people he met along the way.  

Anyone who met Jack knew of his friendliness, good humor and big personality.  He was a true social butterfly- someone always willing to help others, and cared deeply for those he loved.  His cooking skills were unrivaled and he shared this gift often at the holidays or dinner parties, or by volunteering to cook for events at the Unitarian church he attended. He truly loved dogs (and dogs loved him), sitting in the sunshine with a cup of coffee, a strong gin martini, his good friend Mary Jane, traveling, reading and dressing well (often completing yard work in his best polo shirts and khakis, much to Mary's dismay), but most of all he loved spending time with his family and friends, especially his wife and daughter.  We will all greatly miss him and his homemade latkes, warm smile and inappropriate jokes, and the enormous amount of love he had to give.  

At his specific request, the family asks that no flowers be sent ("unless they are the kind with a smokable bud") and instead donations be made to the Menands Animal Shelter, as he loved his dogs with ferocity and frequently commented on how much joy and love pets bring into our lives. No immediate or formal services are planned but a private memorial service will take place later at a date to be determined.  

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