John T. O’Friel

June 3, 1937 – December 13, 2024

Central Valley, NY

John T. O’Friel of Central Valley, NY, passed away on December 13, 2024, at the Kaplan Family Hospice Residence in Newburgh, surrounded by family. He was 87 years old. The son of the late Catherine (Byrne) and Joseph O’Friel, he was born on June 3, 1937, in Brooklyn, NY.

John was an attorney in Central Valley, NY, as well as a retired Lieutenant for the NYPD. He played an active role in his community, where he wore many hats: he was a member of the Woodbury Lions Club, past president of the Woodbury Public Library, and a board member for Cemetery of the Highlands in Highland Mills, NY. He was a loving husband, devoted father and caring friend. His favorite things were spending time with his family, shopping for a bargain, and being at the beach listening to the ocean waves. He will be deeply missed, but will be best remembered for his sense of humor and his generous spirit.

Left to cherish John’s memory are his wife Barbara (Kane) O’Friel, at home in Central Valley, NY; his daughters: Jennifer O’Friel of White Plains, NY, and Kirstin Gould and her husband Jim of Bermuda; his sisters: Mary Patricia Schwartz of Berea, KY, and Elizabeth “Betty” Wallace and her husband Bill of Longs, SC; his grandson Christopher Arnold and his wife Rosemary; and 3 great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by his daughter Leslie Michaels, and by his brother Joseph Andrew O’Friel.

Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at Smith, Seaman, & Quackenbush, Inc. Funeral Home, 117 Maple Ave., Monroe, NY. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 20th at St. Patrick’s Church, 26 Hunter St., Highland Mills, NY. Cremation will take place at Cedar Hill Crematory in Middle Hope, NY. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, and to honor a cause important to him, memorial donations may be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, www.afsp.org