Rev. John A. Needham Jr.

Friends will be received at the funeral home on Tuesday January 28, 2025 from 4 PM to 8 PM.

A funeral service will be held Wednesday 11 AM at the Plattekill Reformed Church.

Burial will follow in Mount Marion Cemetery.

Rev. John A. Needham Jr. went home to his Heavenly Father on January 21, 2025, in Goodlettsville, TN, at the age of 87.

He was born in Plainfield, NJ, on August 6, 1937, as the son of Lt. Col. John Addison Needham Sr. (Ret.) and Alice (Freeman) Needham. After an idyllic childhood spent at the Freeman family homestead in Oak Tree, NJ, he graduated from Metuchen High School and studied history at Hope College, where he met Wilma Van Heest. The couple were wed in 1961 and moved to New Jersey, where John attended New Brunswick Theological Seminary to become an ordained minister.

In 1963, John moved their expanding family to New York City where he began his enduring career of faithful service to the Lord as a chaplain for the Merchant Marines. Following this post, the family moved to the Hudson Valley, where John would serve as the Plattekill Reformed Church minister in Mt. Marion, NY, for 33 years. He brought many programs to the church during his tenure, including leading Tres Dias Weekends, summer Vacation Bible Schools, and bi-weekly Bible studies, and cultivating a vibrant Youth Fellowship. In his first years there, he headed the committee to build a new Church Hall that now bears his name. He was there to support bereaved families going through their worst days as well as celebrate with families on their best days. He ran a Narcotics hotline for many years and volunteered as Chaplain for the Mt. Marion Fire Department. He organized and led over six trips to the Holy Land including hundreds of people. He also served as the President of the Saugerties School District Board of Education, to the chagrin of his two children. Following retirement from the Plattekill Reformed Church, he served as Pastor of the Rochester Reformed Church in Accord, NY, for 10 more years. He worked hard while at the Rochester Reformed Church and was a beloved Pastor for the wonderful parishioners there. His lifelong service to Christ and to his parishioners continued well into his eighth decade, preaching as a pulpit supply minister at churches throughout the Hudson Valley, visiting ailing parishioners, and leading bible studies from his home.

John was a gifted and prolific watercolor painter and model railroader. His model layout filled an entire basement and brought joy to him and all of the children and grandchildren in his life. He enjoyed visiting railroad museums and attending airshows, and was a die-hard NY Giants fan and the NY Yankees fan. One of his favorite places was the beach, where he brought his young family on an annual week at the Jersey Shore. Later, he would organize an annual week with his extended family in North Myrtle Beach, which created many wonderful memories that his family will cherish for a long time. He married June (Dittus) Needham in 1995, and the two spent many happy years wintering in Florida and traveling the country together.

He is survived by his first wife and dear friend, Wilma Joyce (Van Heest) Seaver; his brother, Henry Needham; children: Daniel Needham and Joyce Seaver; step-children: Elizabeth Taylor (John), Stephan Dittus (June), Susan Freer, Peggy Nuss (John), Carolyn Dennison (Alan), and Patricia Dittus (Stephen Flores); grandchildren: Amanda Price, Matthew Price (Sarita), Jaime Reed (Hugh), Anastasia Costache (Michael), and Tatiana Needham; step-grandchildren: Christopher and Lucas Taylor, Jessica and Danielle Dittus, William Freer, Matthew Nuss, Kristen Beaury, and Aaron Flores; great-grandchildren: Hugh Patrick and Darcy Reed, Lucas Costache, and Arthur Price; and step-great-grandchildren: Nikolena Taylor, Nolan and Lilah Vicente, June and Benson Beaury, and James and Noah Freer.

He is predeceased by his parents, John A. Needham, Sr., and Alice (Freeman) Needham; wife, June (Dittus) Needham; brother, David Needham; and sister, Sarah Armster.