John Fonseca, Sr

John Fonseca Sr. died peacefully in his West St. Paul home, surrounded by loved ones, on June 7, 2025. He was 87 years old.

On June 24, 1937, John was born in Saint Paul to parents Annie (Rodarte) and Joseph Fonseca. At the age of 20, John enlisted into the United States Marine Corps. He served his time at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California gaining a rank of Corporal. After his discharge in 1961, he return home to Minnesota and married his highschool sweetheart Mary "Tootsie" (Vasquez). They were married 64 years. They would go on to have 4 children: John Jr., twins Anna and Deborah, and Rose. They remained in West St. Paul where John worked his entire career at Kaplan Brothers as a box operator. He was also actively involved in his community as a loyal Vikings fan and faithful parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He served with the VFW Post #5. John was a proud member of the local Mexican-American veteran community.

John was a loving and devoted patriarch to his family. He is survived by wife Mary and their children John, Anna, Deborah and Rose, and also by his 7 grandchildren LaTasha, Jessica, Lynn, Anthony, Nicole, Amanda and Alicia, 19 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren. Many nieces, nephews and other family members. John is preceded in death by parents Annie and Joseph, and by his 3 sisters Josephine Valdez, Louise Cervantez and Rose Hernandez.

The Fonseca family greatly miss their beloved father and grand-father, Uncle and friend.

There will be a visitation at Kessler and Maguire Funeral Home (640 West 7th St., Saint Paul, MN 55102) from 4-6PM. A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe (401 Concord St, St Paul, MN 55107) at 10AM with a visitation 1 hour prior. A graveside service will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery (7601 34th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55450)