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EAST FISHKILL, N.Y. – John Joseph Wiegard, a lifelong area resident of East Fishkill, died Thursday, July 21. He was 53.
Born May 24, 1963 in Poughkeepsie, he was the middle son of Dolores (Sanfilippo) Wiegard and the late Harald Wiegard.
He grew up in Wappingers Falls and was a 1981 graduate of John Jay High School. He worked with his father at Wiegard and Son Plumbing and Heating, and also worked as a steamfitter for the state Department of Corrections.
He was a 1990 graduate of Dutchess Community College's inaugural police academy. From 1990-96, he was a police officer for the Town of East Fishkill, where he served as a firearms instructor and was a K-9 officer with his faithful partner, Gero.
From 1996-2016, he was a police officer for the Town of Poughkeepsie, where he served as acting sergeant. During his career, he was the recipient of many awards and commendations, including a Life Saving Award. After 26 years of service to our community, he retired July 20, 2016.
On Jan. 2, 1988 at St. Denis Church in Hopewell Junction, he married Bonnie McHoul Wiegard who survives at home.
He also is survived by his children, Megan Hodge and her husband Colin, Kathryn Quimby and her husband Cory and Jacob Wiegard, all of Hopewell Junction; grandchildren, Harper Hodge and Charlee and Miles Quimby; mother, Dolores Wiegard of Amenia; brothers, Harold and Kathleen Wiegard of Farmington, Conn. and Michael and Henry Pollinger-Wiegard of Amenia; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Douglas and Marikay McHoul of Hopewell Junction and Vieques, Puerto Rico; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Peter and Lori Cassidy, John and Heather Sulca, Karl and Mary Ann Menuau and Douglas and Stephanie McHoul; and his nieces and nephews, Daniel, David, Brian and Jacqueline Wiegard, Mary Rose and Shaun Pollinger-Wiegard, Loretta and Josue Rosa and their son Joshua, Carolyn and Allison Cassidy, Corey and Samantha Sulca, Karl and Jadyn Menuau, and Madelyn and Nolan McHoul.
Calling hours will be from 4-8 p.m. Sunday at the McHoul Funeral Home Inc., 895 Route 82, Hopewell Junction. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at noon Monday at St. Columba Church, 835 Route 82, Hopewell Junction, followed by interment in St. Denis Cemetery.
One of John’s favorite duties as a police officer was walking the halls of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, where his children attended. Therefore, a scholarship has been established for aspiring students entering the law enforcement field. Donations may be mailed to the Officer John Wiegard Scholarship Fund, c/o OLL, 131 Boardman Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.
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