Obituary of John Richard McIvor

John Richard McIvor, 90, a longtime resident of Larchmont, New York, returned to his heavenly home on February 3, 2023.  He is now at peace in the House of the Lord.  May God hold him in the hollow of His hand.  John was born in Albany, New York and grew up in the Bronx to the late John (County Armagh, Ireland) and Helen Quinn (County Down, Ireland).  He had three younger siblings, Kathleen (Pat), James (Jimmy), and Gerald (Jerry), all now deceased.  He attended the prestigious Regis High School in Manhattan, New York on a full scholarship which began a long journey of academic excellence.  He attended Iona College, New Rochelle, New York on a full scholarship.  He played and started four years on a nationally ranked basketball squad and was the team’s defensive ”stopper” and was subsequently inducted into the Iona College Hall of Fame.  He was a member of the Cornelian Honor Society and was awarded the Iona Physics Medal.  Upon graduation he served in the United States Army where he played on the Army basketball team throughout Europe.  Upon honorable discharge, he went to work for Sperry Corporation as an engineer.  During this time, he was offered and accepted a physics fellowship at St. John's University. He subsequently went on to earn two Masters degrees and completed all the course work for his PhD.  He transitioned to his true calling as a teacher at both Iona Prep and Mamaroneck High School where he retired as chair of the Mathematics Department. He was also inducted into the Mamaroneck High School Hall of Fame for his coaching of both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. He met the love of his life Paula (nee Fitzgibbon) while vacationing at the New Jersey Shore. They had a storybook romance and were married for 40 years.  Paula preceded him in death in 2001.  John had four children, John (Sylvia), Kevin (Mary), Mary Lisa and Brian (Kathy) as well as six grandchildren; Tara, Matt, Ciara, Liam, Maggie and Claire.  John is also survived by his niece Sammie (Tanner) Fritts.  John was a true Irishman and loved his Irish heritage, traveling many times to Ireland where he would visit with his many relatives and was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  John was steeped in his Catholic faith and attended Mass regularly throughout his life.  He made many great friends throughout his life and loved spending time as a member at the Larchmont Shore Club and at the Jersey Shore where he moved to later in life.  He was blessed to meet Ms. Betty Wall, a beautiful companion and friend to him for many years while in New Jersey.  John remained ever curious throughout his life – enjoying nothing more than spending time reading or discussing (and if he liked you, debating) history, sports, poetry, and art.  His love of the latter gave him particular joy – whether it was spending hours in line to see the Pollack exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art or the times he spent sitting in the Apollo Gallery in Dublin, with owner Hugh over the years, spending hours each visit discussing everything under the sun with some gentle haggling sprinkled in.  He invariably left at the end of each visit with a painting under his arm, developing quite a collection over the years. He will be deeply missed by his family, relatives, and friends.  He loved them all.  The visitation will be at the Fox Funeral Home, 2080 Boston Post Road, Larchmont, New York on February 10 from 5 – 8 p.m.  A Catholic Mass will occur at 10:00 a.m. on February 11 at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Larchmont, followed by burial at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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