John Lissenden, a resident of Lindenhurst and an employee with the Massapequa Park Post Office, died August 7, 2001 of a bleeding ulcer.

Mr. Lissenden was born in Queens and moved to Amityville with his family when he was eight years old. He attended Amityville schools and graduated Amityville Memorial High School.

From 1961 to 1963, Mr. Lissenden served in Germany with the United States Army. That service was to help him form the basis of his personal philosophy throughout the rest of his life, said his nephew Michael Spano of Bay Shore.

"He was a patriot," said Michael Spano. "He read everything he could about his country and history and war and was very proud to have been a veteran."

Known as Jack by fellow employees at the Massapequa Park Post Office, Mr. Lissenden was a clerk and then a mail carrier from 1984 to 1994. He later took a position as a custodian at the Post Office and was commended by Postmaster Rae Culotta.

"He made us all proud of the building we worked in," said Culotta. "There was never a job too big or too small or too difficult for Jack and he was always cheerful and concerned about the comfort and safety of his colleagues and his customers."

He also acted as a mentor to many younger people, said his nephew. "A lot of people came up to me at the funeral and said how much they appreciated the way he talked to them about history and government," said Michael Spano. "He educated a lot of people."

In his spare time, Mr. Lissenden enjoyed working on model airplanes and and woodworking.

In addition to his nephew, Mr. Lissenden is survived by his sister, Kathleen Spano of Copiague, his niece, Barbara Spano of Patchogue and his nephew Mark Spano, also of Patchogue.

Mr. Lissenden reposed at the D’Andrea Brothers Funeral Home, 99 Oak St., Copiague until Friday, August 9, 2001. A religious service was held at the funeral home and interment followed at National Cemetery at Calverton.