John Joseph Dignan
December 6, 1946 ~ October 3, 2008
John Joseph "JJ" Dignan, age 61, of Reston, Virginia, died on Friday, October 3, 2008 at Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center in Arlington, Virginia.
Born December 6, 1946 in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late Edward Thomas Dignan & Bernadette McClellan Dignan. Mr. Dignan was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving with the U.S. Army.
He is survived by his wife, Melanie Marie Dignan; daughters, Kate J. Dignan & Mary B. Dignan, both of Reston, Virginia; granddaughter, Emily M. Curia of Reston, Virginia; father-in-law, William Gross of Fairmont, West Virginia; brother-in-law, Jamie Gross of Port Richie, Florida; & brother- & sister-in-laws, Mike & Brenda Hudnall, Gary & Rachel Merrifield, & Kevin & Amy Rogers, all of Fairmont, West Virginia. He is also survived by numerous nieces & nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Capital Hospice, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Ste. 500, Falls Church, VA 22043 or to St. Thomas a Beckett Catholic Church, 1421 Wiehle Ave., Reston, VA 20190.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Born December 6, 1946 in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late Edward Thomas Dignan & Bernadette McClellan Dignan. Mr. Dignan was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving with the U.S. Army.
He is survived by his wife, Melanie Marie Dignan; daughters, Kate J. Dignan & Mary B. Dignan, both of Reston, Virginia; granddaughter, Emily M. Curia of Reston, Virginia; father-in-law, William Gross of Fairmont, West Virginia; brother-in-law, Jamie Gross of Port Richie, Florida; & brother- & sister-in-laws, Mike & Brenda Hudnall, Gary & Rachel Merrifield, & Kevin & Amy Rogers, all of Fairmont, West Virginia. He is also survived by numerous nieces & nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Capital Hospice, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Ste. 500, Falls Church, VA 22043 or to St. Thomas a Beckett Catholic Church, 1421 Wiehle Ave., Reston, VA 20190.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
J J, You were such an important and positive influence in my life as we went through those wild, crazy and fun years in DC. Thank you for EVERYTHING! You know I’ll always love you and always miss you. See you in heaven good buddy. With love always to you, Melanie and all the family.
JJ, At this moment, as I have before, I recall the many times we talked over the years and over the miles and more than once we spoke of feeling as though we were like brothers- and I know we were. Your love, compassion for others, and mad sense of humor I will never forget. Someday, we’ll pick it up again topside John Joseph, so until that day, my prayers are with you. Melanie, Kate, Mary and family. I regret that I will not be at the funeral, but you can be sure I will be with you in mind and spirit. Harry
Melanie and family, I was so sorry to read of your loss. I know you dont remember me but I graduated with Rachel. I will keep you and your family in my prayers at this difficult time. God Bless you. Kerri Grandstaff
I have wonderful childhood memories of JJ with my dad, Denny Garvey. JJ will be missed by many
IT WAS GOOD KNOWING YOU J,J,
Mel, My thoughts and prayers are with you. I would get updates about JJ from your Dad and I know how hard you have been working to keep everything going. Remember all the great times you guys had together – lots of people never get that – and now JJ is free of pain. I love ya Janie
Melanie: J.J. loved to tell this football story about a particular practice at Western, which was our Junior/Senior Summer, August 1964. We were practicing coverage on punt returns and the backs were taking turns returning punts. When my turn came, I fielded the punt and ran up the right side of the field. All of a sudden I got hit from the left side. As I looked up from the ground, there stood J.J. who had given me quite a stiff shot. He looked down at me and said, “Michael John, welcome to the Interhigh” (J.J. was the only one who ever called me by both names.) That’s been nearly 45 years ago and only one of my many fond memories of J.J. We were always best friends in school and of course for many years after. Certainly, the most important thing to remember is that beneath J.J.’s dry sense of humor, he believed in Jesus. And because of this faith, Jesus reminds us that for those who believe in Him, He has gone ahead to prepare a place for each one. Because of this promise, we can rest assured that J.J. is alive and well with Him in Heaven. Love, Michael John
Melanie, you, Kate, Mary and Emily are in our prayers, our hearts and our thoughts. We love you.
J.J. touched many people and was loved by many more. He always had a smile for me and made me feel special. He will be remembered fondly in my heart along with Melanie, Kate and Mary ~ RIP JJ xxoo
Melanie & Family, We’re so sorry for your loss. You’re in our thoughts and prayers. JJ, you’ll always be remembered for your big smile, caring heart, dry sense of humor, and that devilish glint in your eyes. You’ll always be one of Nancy’s high school heros. Love always.
Whenever anyone said “JJ”, we all knew they were talking about JJ Dignan. He was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, in all the days of my life.
Melanie, We are so sorry for your loss. J J was always so nice to us. Your entire family are in our thoughts and prayers. God Bless
I could tell a thousand stories and times we had. I’ll leave it to one. I’m a better man for having known you. I love you JJ and will meet you in heaven Melanie and Family my prayers and thoughts go out to you.
I didn’t know JJ as well as most of my brothers and sisters did, but I remember how funny and kind he was to everyone. My thoughts and prayers are with the whole family at this time.
I only knew JJ though Melanie but was privileged to know and learn from the courage and strength he obviously inspired in others. He and Melanie will be in my prayers.
Melanie and girls, I’m so sorry for your loss. And, I’m sorry we all didn’t have time to get together more when I was in DC for a visit. JJ was my introduction into the social life I had growing up. Everyone would say “You’re JJ’s cousin?” Somehow that connection always made me feel very cool. That encouraged me to forgive him for making me trip down some steps when he and cousin Richard tied a string across them. I think I was about 4years old. He was such a sweet guy and he married such a sweet lady. My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time. I just now found out about JJ so will not be able to make it there in time but will call you when I do make it to DC the next trip. Take care and may God bless you all. xxoo Mary Margaret
I remember a cold day in January 1962 when JJ and I got our walking papers from St. Johns HS! We got on the Metro bus at 12 noon and JJ said, “My mother’s gonna kill me.” He was close to tears and I tried to calm him down. In less than 2 weeks JJ was dubbed “Mr. Western” because of the sharp way he dressed at Western High. I think Montague and Ruble gave him the name. I have many fond memories of JJ and he will be missed.
JJ you were one of kind and will be sorely missed. We had a lot of great times over the 50 years I knew you. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
jj,the memories are filled with love, laughter and good times. From mardi gras to memphis to O.C. You are gone now to a better place but my thoughts of you will always be vivid.See you on the other side.
Dear Melanie and Girls, Chris and I want to say how sorry we are for your loss of J.J. We loved him. Over the years when we’d run into J.J. he always had a smile and a joke for us, we always left each other laughing. J.J. and i go back to Friendship playground when I was maybe 10 yrs. old, even then he was up beat and had that big warm smile. We will miss him and Chris says J.J. never met a stranger. Look out heaven here comes the great socializer. Love Darlene&Chris Dill
Melanie, I was so sorry to hear about J J. I know that it has been a long, hard struggle for all of you and I am happy that he is now at peace. My prayers for you and your girls.
Melanie and family, I am so sorry for your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you. JJ, I feel like I knew you most of my life and you were always the same. You could always be counted on to bring a smile to someone’s face. I’ll keep on praying that I get to finish sparring with you verbally when my turn here is up.
Dear Saint Melanie, There are no words to express the loss of JJ for he was certainly and always be a legend to us all. All of us that knew him will have a lifetime of memories to make us laugh and tell stories forever. Our most precious memory of JJ is him giving Tess away at our wedding. Our love and prayers are with you, Kate, Mary and Emily We are here for you anytime.