Herkimer: John "Jack" D. LeGrand, the man who had a smile and a joke for everyone, died on June 22, 2013. He was 92 going on 25. Although he had several careers, it wasn't his jobs that made him a man-about-town, but his true interest in connecting with people and having fun. Whether you were the cashier at the grocery store, the nun at the convent, the guy on the stool next to him at the VFW bar, or the baseball hall of famer he was seated next to at dinner, Jack was happiest when getting to know people and making them smile. A storyteller and singer with a baritone voice, Jack loved to entertain, and according to legend, that is how the man from Little Falls captured the heart of a girl from Herkimer at a roller skating rink. The love of his life, Victoria S. Norejko and Jack were married March 18, 1944, while on a military leave as an airplane mechanic during World War II. They were married for 49 years until her death. A year later after the nuptials, a son, John (deceased), was born and they decided to settle back in Herkimer, where in another year, Katherine made the family complete. Together they spent a lot of time with Jack's family in Little Falls, including his sisters Betty LeGrand Foster, and Claire LeGrand Esty and her husband, Vernon, who Jack has predeceased. He also became active in his local church, St. Frances De Sales and its school, as a volunteer and usher. He was intimately involved with the Michael Pliseck VFW Post 4915, where he was elected commander twice (something he was very proud of), as well as serving as chaplain for the post, comforting other families of veterans during their time of need. When his daughter Katherine was graduating from high school, he decided to go back to school and earned the high school diploma he missed out on when he dropped out of high school to enlist in the Army Air Corps. Later in life, Jack could be seen frequenting the halls of HCCC, to continue his learning and meet new people. Many of the people he met in his life asked about the silver cuff bracelet he wore since the 1970s. Jack was honored to share the story of the missing soldier on duty in Vietnam who has yet to be recovered and how he would wear the bracelet in his honor until it fell off or the soldier came home. After thousands of days use, the bracelet finally fell off in the mid-80s. Jack took extreme pride in his five grandchildren: Shannon, Erin and Jennifer, daughters of Katherine and John Reittinger; and Andrew and Brian, sons of John and Julie LeGrand. He would often take out them out for ice cream and sing silly songs - especially Irish ditties like "Bill Grogan's Goat" and "Mrs. Murphy's Chowder", which he sang each year on St. Patrick's Day, including this year, one of his favorite holidays to enjoy a beer or two, and some corned beef. His saddest times were burying his beloved wife Vicki and son John. However, as the life of the party, Jack refused to hide away and remained active, attending Baseball Hall of Fame and Boxing Hall of Fame inductions and dinners and comparing the debauchery of today's games to the good ol' days of sports. With 'no intentions to die anytime soon', as he was known to say, he greeted six great grandchildren into his world: Bailey and Matthew Ruffing, children of Erin and Matt Ruffing; Johnny and Danny Walker, sons of Jennifer and Robert Walker; and Lyra and Sophia Cherry, daughters of Shannon and Matt Cherry. All of his great grandchildren adored his singing, telling tall tales, and, most importantly, his famous popcorn. At every event and gathering for numerous decades, his popcorn was the most praised and requested snack. Jack had a unique recipe to make sure the salty, buttery flavor was perfect - even though he was proud to say there never was any butter in his recipe. In his later years, he became known as "papa", or to his chagrin, "papacorn," to many people, young and old, who loved his popcorn, his stories and his love, including special friends, Andrew and Abby Derminio. Jack also marched in several Veterans and Memorial Days parades locally and felt it was his duty and honor to acknowledge his fellow service men that preceded him in death by selling red poppy flowers and placing flags at gravesites. And Jack spent many a morning with his pals, "The Depression Boys," talking about times past, current events and joking around about their lives. There will be a service to honor the memory of Jack at Holy Family Parish Church, East Main Street, Little Falls, on Saturday, July 6, 2013 at 11:30 AM. Jack wasn't much of a flower man, so his family feels a fitting tribute can be made in his memory to the Friends of the World War II Memorial, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 304, Washington, D.C. 20003. In his later life he was honored to be selected to travel to Washington, DC with his local war buddies to see this memorial and came back with many tales and pictures so that we all shall remember America's greatest generation, including Jack. Kevin E. Enea, Funeral Director, Enea Family Funeral Home, 220 N. Washington Street, Herkimer, NY, is serving the LeGrand family.