Obituary: John Bucchino, Founder of American Karate and Fitness

John Bucchino was remembered this week by friends and students as a gifted teacher, who used martial arts to provide children with a sense of strength and self-worth.

Mr. Bucchino, 47, founder of , died Friday of cancer. A 1982 graduate of Milford High School, Mr. Bucchino was better known as "Sensei John" to students and colleagues.

Funeral services for Mr. Bucchino will be Thursday at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. Visiting hours are from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, at Buma-Sergeant Funeral Home.

Survivors include his wife, Kim Handley-Bucchino, and four children, Vinny, Garrett, Giana and Lauren.

In a notice published Saturday on the American Karate and Fitness Facebook page, Roger Allen, a former AKF instructor, said: "John was an amazing person and touched everyone he encountered in ways that only that person could understand. He was always encouraging and pushed people to want to do their absolute best! He will live on in all of the hearts and minds of his students and their families forever."

In an obituary, published by Buma-Sargeant Funeral Home, Mr. Bucchino was remembered as a teacher who used martial arts to "instill the values of respect, compassion, discipline and most of all, self-worth."

"John’s life would seem too short by many, but those who were touched by him understand that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives," the obituary stated.

Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in , 19 Winter St. Visiting hours will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in the

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Sensei John Bucchino Family Fund, c/o 300 East Main St., P.O. Box 228, Milford, MA 01757.