John Sanchez of Manhattan and Warwick, NY, passed away unexpectedly on August 5, 2023, at Beth Israel Mt Sinai Hospital. He was 73 years old.
Born in Manhattan on June 29, 1950, he was the son of Virginia (nee Vargas) and the late Domingo Sanchez.
John was a retired Police Detective with the New York City Police Department. John worked for many years at the NYC Police Academy as a law professor and self-defense sensei with a black belt in jujitsu as well as serving with the candidates’ approval process. Prior to serving with the NYPD, John was a high school teacher, and a professor of English at Lehman College in Bronx, NY. He also worked helping others as a psychotherapist.
John is survived by his spouse Christian Chase at home; mother Virginia Sanchez; brother Nelson Vega; sisters Iris Mendez and Doris Leon; stepson Jack Chase; nieces and nephews and a large extended family. He was predeceased by his father Domingo Sanchez and brothers Angel and Oscar Sanchez.
The family will receive friends for visitation on Thursday, August 10, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a service at 1:30 p.m. at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY. Interment will follow in Warwick Cemetery, 50 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in John’s memory be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.