After a long, valiant battle against lung disease and congestive heart failure, my father, John Pope, died Sunday, June 29th at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara. This was somewhat unexpected as recently he had been improving and was downgraded out of the ICU and was awaiting a bed in a yet lower level of the hospital when it seems he got a severe stroke late on Saturday. Prior to his seven weeks there, mostly in the ICU, he had lived at Belmont Village in San Jose, where he had many friends.
John grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, and graduated from Princeton University in 1952 with a BA in history. He married Patricia Buckley in Santa Clara County in August 1954. They were married for 42 years, until her death in 1996. After serving in the US Army in South Korea for nearly two years, he studied at Santa Clara University School of Law and received a license to practice law in January 1959.
He had a private practice in San Jose, doing family law, wills, trusts, estates, and employment law. His law practice included "pro bono" work and he served as a "Judge Pro Tem" as well.
John and Pat raised three children in Santa Clara and Saratoga. John was very supportive of Pat’s real estate career, which she began in 1956 (when very few women were selling real estate).
John was a creative person who enjoyed delighting young children, particularly with cartooning or doing “magic tricks” involving chocolate coins. He painted a myriad of toy soldiers and enjoyed an extensive collection the sale of which helped to support him in his retirement. He was known within the family for the villages and train sets he set up under the tree at Christmas, which looked amazingly similar to his hometown of Morristown in winter.
Spirituality and his Catholic faith were of utmost importance to him, and it infused the way he worked, raised his family, and met challenges in his life. He had been a very active member of Alcoholic Anonymous, and he credited the support of the group and the grace of God for his 29 years of sobriety.
John’s passions were travel, history, politics, family and faith. When the family was young, John and Pat made many frequent trips to the east coast to see the Pope relatives. The travels later expanded to include Europe, Great Britain, central America, the Virgin Islands, and elsewhere.
John leaves behind 3 children: Stephen Pope (Patti) of Boston, MA, Mary Pope-Handy (Jim) of Los Gatos, CA, and Barbara Pope (Tom) of Greenfield, MA and 7 grandchildren: Michael Pope, Kathleen Pope, Stephen Pope, Brian Handy, Clair Handy, Daniel Morse and Taryn Rose Morse. He is survived also by his sister, Helen Holly (Bo) of Dover, NJ, her children Joan Guarino and John Holly (Meredith) and Joan's two children, Alexandre and Gabriella. He is also mourned by his brothers-in-law, Fr. Michael Buckley, SJ, and Fr. Thomas Buckley, SJ, as well as by numerous other relatives, friends, and neighbors.
There will be a funeral Mass at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church in Campbell on July 9th at 11am, followed by burial at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetary and a reception afterwards. A memorial Mass was held in his hometown of Morristown, New Jersey, on July 2nd as his only sibling, Helen, and her family live nearby and many other relatives were assembled in Cape May, NJ, for a family reunion, when he died.
Donations in John’s honor can be made to ARH Recovery Homes, Inc. 1101 S. Winchester Blvd.,Suite J-220 San Jose, CA 95128 Phone: 408-236-6657 info@arhinc.org. He had been very involved with this alcohol recovery home, at one time serving on its board, and would love to have its good work furthered on his behalf.
I met your Dad once, and he was so kind and full of life. I'm sorry for your loss! Please know that all of the Lyons family have all of Pope family in their prayers at this time. Tish & Bob
Our thoughts of love and prayers are with you. We loved your Mom and Dad. We are so happy that we got to know them, their love, warmth, care and compassion. I have seen their wonderful traits in Michael, Katie, Stevie, Brian, Clair, Taryn Rose and Daniel.
I know they were so very proud of all of you.
God be with you, Love,
Sharon, Greg, Christine, and Mary (Curtis-Granskog)
Alice - Thanks so much. My parents were enormously fond of you and Fletch, and always counted it as a great boon that you're part of our family.
John - Thank you!
Gretchen - You're so sweet. I think somewhere I have a pic of you and the extended family, including my dad - on the day of Jim's and my wedding when you and Heidi were our adorable flower girls. But you were very small so I'm sure you would not recall it :-)
Sherry - you are right, it's really hard with both parents gone. Thank you for your kind words.
Tish & Bob - Thank you so much for the support and prayers.
Byron - Thank you for the prayers. We sure appreciate them.
Sharon - thanks for the good wishes and prayers and love. I'm glad you got to know my folks too. I felt very warmly about yours too. Jack and Peggy Curtis were two of the nicest folks I've ever met. It's hard to have them gone, but your parents and mine are in a better place. I know they are proud of all their kids & grandkids...
John will surely be missed by us all. Dave has so many fond memories of growing up with Steve and the Pope family. It's sad not having Pat and John with us, but we gain solace knowing they are together in heaven. Let us know if there is anything we can do during this most difficult time. Love, The Fernandez Family
Dave, Rosemary, David Jr., Juliana and Anthony
Posted by: Judge Lawrence Terry Date: Jul. 8, 2008
Dear Mary,Steve, Barbara and families: Our thoughts and prayers are with you and our memories of the past remind us of the great gift that John was to all he met and to the community. I first met John as a student intern working in his office while attending law school at SCU in the early sixties. My dear wife Anna Marie tutored Steve when he first attended St Clare's, (obviously doing a good job as exemplified by his academic preeminence). As a Judge for 32 years in our community I can attest to John's reputation as an excellent lawyer, and more importantly as an outstanding man who graciously gave so much to others. His contribution in service to the recovery community through ARH Inc., the lawyers group "the Other Bar" saved the lives of many people. We will miss him dearly but know he has found the serenity he deserves
Ned - Thanks for your good words. My dad was a really caring person, and he looked at his work not just as a way to make money, but a way to help make things right for people. He had a ton of admirable traits.
Rosemary - You and Dave were very kind to stop by the ICU to see my dad, and I know he appreciated that you sung him the Ave Maria too. (The nurse that shift told me about it!) Your friendship with Steve and all the Pope family is deeply cherished.
Judge Terry - It was so nice of you to visit our dad and bring him the St Jude prayer card; I was very happy to meet you that evening in the ICU in mid May. Because he was so sick, his memory wasn't always so good but the card stayed on his bulletin board along with greeting cards and other good wishes and we would remind him that you'd been by to visit. Your group in "the other bar" was so great to him, especially in the last months, and he often commented to me how much he cared about all the members. He so appreciated that people from the group would give him rides and sometimes take him to supper before or after the meetings too. Steve, Barb and I are exceedingly thankful for the friendship of his AA friends, both in the Wednesday evening and Saturday morning groups. We cannot thank you all enough. We are so saddened by his death but comforted, as you say, that he now has the serenity he deserves.
It is with great sadness to learn of John's passing. Having been a client of Johns' since the 60's and his dentist, I had come to know John quite well (as with Pat also). A man with high standards of great honesty, integrity, and morals. Just knowing John made you a better person. As with you all I will miss him greatly. It will be my honor to be at his funeral mass tomorrow at eleven.
Please accept my most sincere condolences on your loss. It must be hard to loose a parent but most importantly a great person like you dad according to this beautiful obituary.
Lee - Thanks for being there at our Dad's funeral. You've been an important family friend and it was good to see you there.
Fran - Thank you so much. Our Dad had a lot of great qualities. I always thought he was tenacious, but his fight to live during the last 7 weeks were simply incredible.
Ney - We appreciate your kind comments and prayers - thank you very much.
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle by Mary Pope-Handy, town resident, enthusiast and Realtor.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, CRS, ABR, E-Pro
Sereno Group Real Estate
214 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road Los Gatos, CA 95030
DRE # 01153805
408 204-7673
John N Pope, Jr (
John and Pat raised three children in 
