Emil John 'John' Ludwig

Emil J. (John) Ludwig, 89, of Cheshire passed away on Thursday, June 22, doing what he loved most, making his yard look beautiful. He was born on April 4, 1928 in Sodus Point, New York, son of the late Emil and Olga (Pein) Ludwig, and enjoyed fishing and swimming in Lake Ontario as a youngster. He also helped out on his family’s farm – work that he never described as enjoyable but prepared him for all the hard work that lay ahead of him.

John was pre-deceased by both his wife, Katherine, whom he married on Valentine’s Day, 1948, and by a very special granddaughter, Valerie. He is survived by his three sons: Ernie and his wife Joanne of Cheshire; Steve and his wife Karla of Glastonbury; and Larry and his wife Diane of Canton, GA. He also is survived by four grandchildren: Sarah, Nick, Kurt and Erik, and five great-grandchildren, Caitlyn, Nicole, Colin, Gemma and Katherine. John was very excited to meet Katherine for the first time just two weeks ago.

John proudly served in the military during World War II, lying about his age in order to join the Merchant Marines at age fifteen. In the Merchant Marines he manned Liberty Ship cargo vessels, aka “Kaiser’s Coffins”, transporting fuel across the Atlantic. Later he enlisted in the Army, and served as part of the occupation forces in Japan. He loved his time in the military and shared his many stories about it with his family especially over the last few years.

John was an expert machinist, and worked his entire adult life at various machine shops throughout the Naugatuck valley, finishing his career at Stanley Black and Decker. He took great pride in his work, and enjoyed describing how he was able to increase the production and the precision of the various machines he worked with. Vacations were important to him and he always made sure he took his sons and Katherine on a trip every summer. A favorite place was Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, where they rented a cabin and enjoyed fishing and swimming and eating out at their favorite places. Winters at home were always enjoyable for the boys and the neighbors because John would set up a sledding run on his property complete with lights.

Following his retirement, John dedicated much of his time to his two favorite hobbies, gardening and woodworking, providing his offspring with more vegetables and wooden doodads than they knew what to do with. He and Katherine also traveled extensively, visiting Switzerland, Germany, France, England and Ireland. As their ability to travel decreased, they took great pleasure in hearing about the various adventures of their children and grandchildren.

John’s funeral procession will leave the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire, 615 So. Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410 on Friday, June 30, 2017 at 10:45AM for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11:30AM in St. Bridget Church, 175 Main St., Cheshire. Interment with Full Military Honors will follow in St. Bridget Cemetery, Higgins Rd., Cheshire. Friends may greet his family at the funeral home on Friday morning from 9:30AM until the time the procession leaves for church. At the request of his family, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516. To leave condolences for John’s family or to share a picture or story, visit www.fordfh.com