Obituary of John W. Bossung, Sr.

John William Bossung Sr. Born April 10, 1928, deceased April 25, 2023.

He is survived by his wife Claire, his brother Harold, his sister and her husband Claire and Nicky Dreessen, three children, John Jr, Stephen and his wife Shannon, and Jill Kortleven; six grandchildren, Lucas, Jack, Kyle, Ameliene, Daniel Kortleven, and Morgan Kortleven, and one great granddaughter Katherine.

John Bossung passed away peacefully on April 25,2023 in Albany NY. He was born in NYC (Manhattan) and raised in Mount Vernon NY by his loving parents John and Mabel. 

He graduated AB Davis High School early and enrolled in Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ. He graduated in 1951 with a Mechanical Engineering degree and continued graduate work at Columbia. He had a very successful engineering career, most of which he spent with Perkin Elmer in Wilton Connecticut, where he led the Technology Center. John was a pioneer in the semiconductor business, and is the creator of the Bossung curve, used for decades in the optimization of wafer etching in the manufacture of semiconductors, the predecessors of today’s integrated circuits. You may not have heard of it, as there are only a few that can understand or explain it. He received a lifetime achievement award in 2007 from the Society of Photographic and Instrument Engineers.

John married Claire Miller in 1954, moved to the Edgewood section of Scarsdale in 1960 where his three children were raised. He and Claire celebrated 68 wedding anniversaries.

During a summer surveying seminar, he contracted and later recovered from polio.  The disease resulted in the loss of muscle and tendon in his left leg and glute. You would never have known this if you met him, as he was a formidable opponent on the tennis court and a very good handball player, winning the Westchester NY doubles championship in the days when handball was a very popular sport played by many. He was also a very good golfer, regularly scoring under 80. He made lifelong friends through golf and his regular Saturday morning game. John slept at the course regularly on Friday nights so that he could reserve the early tee time for the following week. He passed down his love of these sports to his family.

Knowledge of and teaching the bible was a priority for John. Grounding his family in the church, along with Claire, and forming unbreakable bonds at The First Presbyterian Church of Mount Vernon was a lifetime dedication.  Singing in the choir, active in Sunday school, and serving as an Elder came naturally. John showed love for all through example and education - he just made the world a better place.

Family first! Whether it was taking the family canoeing, playing games, celebrating holidays, or playing the piano and having everyone sing, he made family and family events special. Many can attest to this including his cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, neighbors and friends.

John self-published “The Spider Book”, a collection of stories, ideas, and teachings though the eyes of “Herman “(himself).  He enjoyed being able to share what topics he thought were applicable to life.

He was a lover of life! He always knew there was more to learn and to be amazed by. His blue eyes lit up when he was able to share or learn about an achievement of one of his grandchildren. He was a wonderful man.

 There isn’t one John Bossung story. If you met him or knew him, you had your own special John Bossung story.

John Bossung, Sr will be memorialized at 11:00am on June 18, 2023 at the First Presbyterian Church, Mount Vernon NY, 199 N. Columbus Ave. Mount Vernon, NY 10553. 

A coffee hour in John’s honor will follow the service.