John C. Teves of Vineyard Haven died Feb. 12. He was 63.

He was the beloved husband of 28 years to Esther Teves and the cherished father of Aaron and Devon Teves.

John was born to Jose Teves and Sofia Morgado on June 1, 1958 on the island of Sao Miguel in the Portuguese Azores. In the late 1960s, along with his seven brothers and two sisters, he emigrated to the United States and settled in Fairhaven. He grew up and attended school there.

After high school, John enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served for two years and was stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky. and Kaiserslautern, Germany. He returned to Fairhaven upon completion of his military service.

A year later, while on holiday with friends, he found his way to the shores of Martha’s Vineyard. He fell in love with the Island and made it his home for the next 44 years. His first job was working for Roger Wey Construction. Later, he worked for Primo Lombardi at Papa John’s Restaurant. John was a familiar and friendly face for many years in the pizza parlor at the end of Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs. He loved working there and feeding families. It warmed his heart to see the children’s delight as he spun the pizza dough in the air. During his years at Papa’s, he made many lifelong friendships and met his future wife, Esther, who had taken a part-time job there one summer.

A few years after John and Esther married, he returned to construction, working for Rick Colson and Mark McGlynn at Vineyard Builders Associates and Bob Avakian at Vineyard Construction Services. His fine craftsmanship can be found at many houses on the Island. In later years, he worked as a property manager and lovingly cared for Island homes.

His greatest joys were his sons, Aaron and Devon. He instilled in them the value of hard work and service to others. In their childhood, John returned to his love of pizza making as a volunteer for the Tisbury School’s PTO Pizza Nights. In later years, he served as an inspiration to the boys as they pursued their college studies, Aaron in architecture and Devon in horticulture.

He loved animals and he and Esther adopted three rescued greyhounds over the years. In his final days, he found much joy and comfort in his two cats, Alice and Annie.

John’s strength and gentle kindness was seen by many. He had a generous spirit and was always willing to help anyone in need.

A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Augustine’s Church. Interment with veteran’s honors will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.

Donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.