John Paul Callahan was born on January 27, 1949 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He died at the age of 73 in Winter Park, Florida, on January 8, 2023. His parents, John Anthony Callahan and Lillian Marie (Gaudreau) Callahan, preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Susan Allen Callahan; his three children - Shannon, Ryan, and Colin; and his grandchildren - Landry, Livvi, and Keegan.
He earned an associate’s degree from Norwalk Community College and worked for the former People’s Bank of Connecticut for several years. After moving with his family to Florida in November 1987, he held jobs at Mears Transportation, Kash n’ Karry Grocery Store, and Publix Super Markets. His loyal tenure in the Publix produce department culminated in over 18 years of service at his 2019 retirement.
Steadfast belief in sharing the gift of life prompted John’s ardent devotion to blood donation. That unwavering dedication becomes especially evident in his significant contribution of 20.25 lifesaving gallons through an incredible 162 lifetime blood donations. In addition, he provided support to numerous animal charities and engaged in NASCAR and science fiction (mainly Star Trek and Star Wars) fandom. Music also brought him joy. Among his favorite bands were the Beach Boys, Boston, Chicago, the Eagles, and Heart.
A private memorial/interment service will occur in Connecticut at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the following relevant nonprofit organizations:
OneBlood (https://www.oneblood.org/)
Dementia Society of America (https://www.dementiasociety.org/)
Lewy Body Dementia Association, Inc. (https://www.lbda.org/)
Iron Disorders Institute (https://irondisorders.org/)
The family aims to increase awareness of hereditary hemochromatosis, a genetic blood disorder that causes iron overload, and encourages people of Northern European ancestry to undergo testing. Additional details appear online at https://hemochromatosis.org/.
