Columbus, OH — John Paul Mondrick, Durhamville, made his last halo jump, but this time he went all the way up to heaven and there was no low opening, he lost his long battle with cancer September 27.
John was born March 3, 1947, to Alex and Rose Horodnicki Mondrick, Lee Center, NY. He graduated from RFA in 1965.
He was drafted into the Army in 1966 and in true Mondrick style he was determined to make the most of it. After basic training he was chosen for Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning Georgia and received his wings after completing Airborne training there. He was then sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to complete his special forces training. He proudly served his country as a Halo Paratrooper assigned to the 46th Special Forces Company in Thailand and completed numerous missions during the Vietnam war. On November 24, 1968, while serving as one of ten Americans embedded with a Cambodian and Vietnamese Unit, during a combat mission he was seriously wounded sustaining numerous injuries. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star and Cluster. Captain Mondrick returned to the states and completed his service assigned to Company E, 7thSpecial Forces, Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1972.
Back to civilian life he funneled his energy into working with horses. John bred and raised several racehorses. He also was a trainer and driver based at Vernon Downs. Two of his better known homebreds were Davids Rainbow and Johnny Halo. When he wasn’t training you could still find John around the barns at Vernon and farms nearby, usually telling stories from days gone by. After his training career ended, John worked with his friends supplying high quality hay to racetracks and farms throughout the US.
Through his tough exterior he was a softie at heart and made hundreds of friends from childhood and his life’s journey. He was a member of several clubs and organizations where he donated both his time and financial support and cherished his club friends. These included Lee American Legion, Point Rock Fish and Game Club, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Stanwix Men’s Club, Durhamville Veterans Club. He was also a skilled hunter and he shared that skill with his brothers, his sons, daughter, and many friends.
John is survived by his wife Lynne and their three children, John (Meghan) Gettysburg, PA, Julie (Shawn) Ano, and David (Sarah) Oneida, NY, two grandchildren, John Paul III, and Lyra Ano. He is also survived by his siblings, Kenneth, Robert (Mary Claire), James (Tammy), Rose (L. James) Jones, Martin (Shirley), and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Steven VanHoeven.
Funeral services will be held 10AM Wednesday, October 2, 2024, from St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 551 Sayles Street, Oneida, with the Reverend Robert Wollaber, officiating. Interment, with full military honors, will be made in Glenwood Cemetery. Friends may call from 4-7 p.m., at the Campbell-Dean Funeral Home, Inc., 260 Main Street, Oneida on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. A Celebration of Life will also be held at the Stanwix Men’s Club on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m..