John F. Rioux

John “Jack” F. Rioux, 89, longtime Mattydale resident, passed away peacefully surrounded by his children on Sunday, January 18, 2026.

Jack and his wife Dorie retired to Fort Myers, Florida, where they embraced sunshine, golf, good friends and more than a few bottomless glasses of wine. In 2023, Jack returned to the Liverpool area to be closer to family, though he held onto his Florida shorts until the bitter cold finally convinced him otherwise.

Jack proudly served as a firefighter with the Syracuse Fire Department for two decades while also owning and operating Jack Rioux Home Improvements for more than 45 years. He built the family home where he and Dorie raised their five children, and he spent his life working with his hands by fixing, building, and creating. You could often hear him whistling or humming while he worked. What Jack built was meant to last. His work was done carefully, solidly, and the right way. From home renovations to hand-crafting thirty wooden bugles for the Cicero–North Syracuse Dance Ensemble, Jack could make just about anything. If it was broken, he could fix it.

He was tough and no-nonsense on the outside, but beneath that exterior was a heart of gold. Jack would do anything for anybody. He had a sparkle in his blue eyes and a well-practiced talent for teasing, often giving you a hard time on purpose, just to make you laugh. His mischievous smile will be missed by many.

Jack was predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Doris (Renze) Rioux, and his parents, Herman and Edith Rioux. He is survived by his five children: Linda (Mitchell) Lenway of Cicero; Susan (Stephen) Cimilluca of East Syracuse; Kathy (David) DeGroot of Denton, TX; John (Sue) Rioux of Camillus; and Sheila (Tim Smith) Rioux, Ph.D. of Pittsburgh, PA. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild; and two brothers, Donald (Cindy) Rioux and Frank (Olivia) Rioux.

Contributions in Jack’s memory may be made to the Wound Care Center, c/o Upstate University Hospital, 750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY 13210.

Friends may call on Saturday, January 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Krueger Funeral Home, 2619 Brewerton Road, Mattydale. Funeral services will begin at 11:30 a.m., with burial to follow at Assumption Cemetery, Syracuse.

To attend the funeral Service live click on the following link       https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/a26016613459255

The link will be live at 11:30 am on Saturday