He was not on the list.
PESKY, John M. "Johnny" Age 93, of Swampscott,
formerly of Lynn and Portland, OR, died Monday, Aug. 13 after a brief illness.
Born John Michael Paveskovich Feb. 27, 1919 in Portland, Oregon, son of
Croatian immigrants, Jakov and Marija (Bajama) Paveskovich. (note: Major League
Baseball has Johnny's date of birth as Sept. 27, 1919, an adjustment made by
Johnny in 1939 to meet baseball scouting age limits for tryouts). He was raised
in Portland, graduating from high school in 1939 where he was a stand out
athlete in both hockey and baseball, but ultimately chose baseball and the Red
Sox for his career. During WWII, he served in the U.S. Navy and trained as a
pilot. He was stationed at Gordon Field Naval Air Base in Atlanta. It was there
that he met his future wife, Ruth C. Hickey of Lynn. Ruth was a Machinist Mate 1st
Class who was assigned the task of starting airplane engines. Johnny and Ruth
shared 60 years of marriage before her death in 2005. In their early married
life, they lived in Lynn before moving to Swampscott in 1965 to a new home that
Ruth had built. During his career with the Red Sox, Johnny held positions as
Player, Coach, Manager, Announcer, Special Assistant to the General Manager and
Beloved Baseball Ambassador. Johnny worked tirelessly for over 70 years on
behalf of the Jimmy Fund and several other charities. He was always willing to
help all who asked. Throughout his life, Johnny had a love for the City of Lynn
and Lynn has always been proud to claim Johnny as one of its own. His presence
in the Greater Lynn Community was well known.
Nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red
Sox", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He
was a shortstop and third baseman during a ten-year major league playing
career, appearing in 1,270 games played in 1942 and from 1946 to 1954 for three
teams. He missed the 1943–45 seasons while serving in World War II. Pesky was
associated with the Boston Red Sox for 61 of his 73 years in baseball—from 1940
through June 3, 1952, 1961 through 1964, and from 1969 until his death. Pesky
also managed the Red Sox from 1963 to 1964, and in September 1980.
A left-handed hitter who threw right-handed, Pesky was a
tough man for pitchers to strike out. He was the first American League (AL)
player to score 6 runs in a 9 inning game. As a hitter, he specialized in
getting on base, leading the AL in base hits three times—his first three
seasons in the majors, in which he collected over 200 hits each year—and was
among the top ten in on-base percentage six times while batting .307 in 4,745
at bats as a major leaguer. He was also an excellent bunter who led the
league in sacrifice hits in 1942. He was a teammate and close friend of Ted
Williams, Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio, as chronicled in The Teammates by David
Halberstam.
The annual Johnny
Pesky Friendship Dinner grew from a small handful to over 400 people. Along
with his contemporaries, he would frequent local restaurants as
"Chairman" of the "Breakfast Club." Johnny prided himself
on never turning down a kid for an autograph, no matter how old that kid might
be. Always approachable, Johnny's kindness to those that he met will be
remembered by all. He is survived by his son and daughter in law, David M. and
Alison S. Pesky of Gloucester. His brother, Vincent Paveskovich and sister, Danica
"Dee" Iveson of Portland, OR, several nieces and nephews, including
Joanne Deveau, Lawrence Corea, Jr., Michael P. Hickey, and Patrick J. Hickey of
Lynn. He is also survived by his dear friend, Evelyn Leary of Houston, TX. He
was also brother of the late Tony and Marco Paveskovich, Ann Franciskovich and
Millie Love. Relatives, friends, and the general public are respectfully
invited to visiting hours at the Solimine, Landergan and Richardson Funeral
Home, 67 Ocean St. (Rt 1A) LYNN on Sunday, August 19 from 2-8pm. Funeral
Services and Burial will be private. Donations may be made in Johnny's memory
to the Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, Brookline, MA 02445. Directions and
guest book at www.solimine.com
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