John S. Zolfo's Obituary
John Stephen Zolfo (October 20, 1946-March 14,2018)
Our beloved John died unexpectedly on March 14, 2018. John was 71 and he lived a full life. He was born in New York City, the youngest of three, to John Zolfo, and Ida (nee' DiNapoli) Zolfo. John grew up in New York and after graduating high school from St. Helena, he attended Hunter College and received a Masters of Education. John, thereafter, became a grammar school teacher for the Montville, New Jersey School District to which he committed his effort and energy for six fulfilling years. Under the banner of “Zolfo’s Zoomers”, John’s students went on to win most intramural sports contests within the school.
John valued family over all else, and after marrying his sweetheart Mary in 1970, John and Mary lived a quiet, and lovely life with their two sons Michael, and William. Tragically however, and after an extended and courageous battle, William succumbed to acute leukemia at the age of 8. With difficulty, John, was able to move onward with life, which included a vibrant career at Verizon from which he eventually retired in 2001.
In 2003, John sadly again faced a profound loss, losing his wife of 33 years. Hope and faith, with love of family supported him, as John decided to move to Florida to begin life anew in 2004. In Florida, John was able to find joy and happiness again, with new friends, new relationships and many new interests, including dance, which he so enjoyed with his loving partner Evie Bremer. “Evie” and John shared many interests, attended concerts, and were regulars at the Largo Elk’s ”spaghetti dinner and dance“ Tuesday nights and Friday Dance nights where he danced a fast-east coast swing with ease and joy. John had many friends, and not only was he loved; he was love. He exemplified love and modeled it as a wise teacher would in the way he lived: kindly, humbly, and with a generosity of spirit. This was especially true when it came to family. John especially cherished his “family men”, including his son, nephews, and brother, who bi-annually went on an adventure trip filled with story-telling and sharing of life. Not only were these trips special to John, so too were the annual Zolfo family re-unions of 20 years, of which
he never missed. John lives on through memories of these wonderful family gatherings in which he shall continue to be present in spirit. A tribute to John would not be complete without acknowledging his love of sports and his loyalty to the New York sports teams, especially the Jets.
John is survived by his son, Michael and daughter-in-law, Kierstyn, sister Julia and brother Frank. Given the size of his beautiful and very Italian family, John had many nieces, nephews, cousins, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews, as well as friends, too numerous to name, all of whom already miss him.
Mass services will be held at 10:00 AM, Saturday, March 24th at the Light of Christ Church, 2176 Marilyn Street, Clearwater, Florida.
After the Mass the family invites all family and friends to an open house celebration of John’s life to be held from 12:00-4:00 at Moss Feaster Funeral Home, 693 Belcher Road, in Clearwater, Florida.
Should you desire to make a gift in tribute to John’s life, the family extends its appreciation and requests donations be made to either:
• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 3507 Interstate 275, Frontage Rd. E #300, Tampa, Florida 33607.
• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 120 Wall Street, 29th floor, New York, NY 10005.
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