John S. Lis, Jr.

John “Jack” Stanley Lis Jr., 85, of Wayland MA, died peacefully Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. He was born August 12, 1937, in Westfield, Mass., the son of John Lis and Mary (Horkun) Lis. He attended Westfield schools and Cheshire Academy (CT), playing football and baseball, before enlisting in the United States Army.  Jack was stationed near Seoul during the Korean War. After returning from Korea, Jack attended the University of Connecticut and received bachelors and masters degrees. Jack met Patricia Budros at UConn and later married in 1967. After living in Detroit, they moved to the Boston area, with a stop in Hudson before eventually settling in Wayland.  Jack called Rich Valley Road home for 45 years, raising his three children Wendy, Adam and David there, always supporting their various endeavors. Jack worked 30 years as a special education teacher at Brookline High School (Brookline, MA), retiring in 2001.   Generations of students received Jack’s unsolicited life advice in the hallways and on the soccer field. Jack was proud about getting, and staying, sober for 36 years. He would want to be remembered as a hard worker, a good neighbor, a tough coach, a sports fan (Ted Williams acolyte), and a Polka music lover. His favorite things were simple – being handed a few containers of Thanksgiving leftovers to take home, a crossword puzzle scratch ticket, a Dunkin coffee roll, a leaf-free lawn, and a snow-free driveway. Jack’s final days were spent surrounded by those who love him in the excellent care of nurses and doctors at the Cardiac Care Unit of BIDMC in Boston. He is survived by his daughter Wendy Lis, sons Adam Lis and David Lis, daughter in-law Lyndsey Lis, sister Ann Marie (“Ann the Fan”) Malinowski, three granddaughters—Molly, Samantha, and Lauren—and many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours will be held from 10-12 on Friday June 9 at Firtion-Adams Funeral Home Westfield, MA followed by a burial service at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Westfield, MA at 12:30pm.  Reception to follow at Westwood Restaurant and Pub, Westfield.  All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Jack's memory may be made to Holy Trinity Church, 335 Elm Street, Westfield Mass. or Veterans of Foreign Wars, www.vfw.org 

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