WWII Veteran John J. Cristando ~ March 16, 1926 - June 3, 2024

A well-loved fixture in South Lake Tahoe for the last 58 years, John J. Cristando, sadly passed away on Monday, June 3 at the age of 98. A man who was very proud of being in the European Theater in World War II, John had originally planned on being in France for the 80th-anniversary ceremony of D-Day in Normandy after he was chosen to attend, but health kept him at Lake Tahoe.

John was born on March 16, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York to Delfio and Lena Cristando who had immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s from Montevago, Sicily. He graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Hollis, New York before heading to Europe to serve his country in the Army.

Upon returning, John received his dry cleaning license from the National Dry Cleaning Institute in Silver Springs, Maryland in 1950.

John met his first wife Mary Ann while in dry cleaning school and they were married in 1951. They moved with his parents to Fresno, Calif. where he and his father opened Ronnie's Cleaners. John operated the business until moving to South Lake Tahoe in 1965, the same year the City was formed, to work in gaming, both at Barney's and the Nugget as a manager. He left the casinos and opened John's Tahoe Cleaners in 1969. John was honored in February for having a South Lake Tahoe business for 55 years.

John and Mary Ann welcomed children John Jr., Loretta, and Thomas.

John later married Robin and welcomed her three children, Robert, Stephanie, and Veronica. Together they had Johnna.

John loved family, especially his 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

He also loved friends.

John could be found with his very close friend Tom Davis holding court at the restaurant near his cleaning business. The restaurant changed ownership several times over the years, including the names of Romano's, Ternullo's, Fambrini's, Carinna's, and Nikki's Chaat Cafe. Everyone joked that it was written in the sales contracts that John came with the restaurant with his table set aside. Tom and John welcomed a string of friends daily that would stop by that table and chat, including everyone considering running for office in South Lake Tahoe. Everyone knew when John and Tom would be at their table and ready for good conversation. After COVID, the two moved their table into the back room at John's Cleaner where the stream of people visiting continued, including as recently as four days before John's passing.

"He and I have been friends for at least 35-40 years, recalled Tom. "He was a wonderful friend, a wonderful human being. It's been an honor to know him."

Tom said that about two years ago he asked John how he'd like to be remembered after he died, and the avid Frank Sinatra fan quickly told him, "I did it my way."

He was also loved by everyone at the VA Hospital in Reno, from nurses to doctors, some of who came to Barton when they heard of his fall.

John was very proud of his military service and could always be found with his "WWII Veteran" ball cap on. His children said their dad would be stopped often by people who thanked him for his service and his meal would be purchased by admirers, or as at Costco recently, his groceries. Just two weeks ago a South Lake Tahoe Police Officer pulled up along the car John was in with his WWII Veteran cap on and thanked him for his service. He was on Honor Flights and in September 2023, he was part of the Gary Sinise Foundation's Soaring Valor trip to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, and he returned when the Liberation Pavilion was dedicated in November 2023.

John fell at his South Lake Tahoe home on Monday and was taken to Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe. He was in the ICU and planned on being released to come home the next day when he passed. John's children said the staff was in tears.

John's family remembers their father as having a great sense of humor, a quick wit, and being flirtatious and charming.

They said he was also very caring and went out of his way to make people feel good.

John leaves behind his sister Sophie Salvo, and children Loretta Holton, Thomas Cristando, Robert (Amy) Cristando, Stephanie (Janez) Demsar, Veronica (Shawn) Flaherty, and Johnna Cristando; grandchildren Adam, Paul, Daniel, Ryan, Michael, Janez Jr., Lucas, Jessica, Alexandra, and Daniella; and six great-grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wives Mary Ann and Robin, brother Frank, and son John Jr.

A celebration of life to be announced in the next two weeks.