John Mazzarella

John Mazzarella passed away peacefully surrounded by his children on Oct. 2, 2017. He was 89. John was born and raised in New York, NY. John lived a life of service and was particularly devoted to educational causes. As a young teenager he volunteered at the Christodora House, a settlement house in his East Village neighborhood, where he was inspired to become a social worker.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from The City College of New York, a Master of Science in Social Administration (the equivalent of MSW) from the School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western University in Cleveland, OH, and a diploma in Professional Education from the University of Connecticut.  John dedicated his professional life to the care and education of children, especially those with special needs.  He worked in the public school system of Middletown, CT in the Department of Pupil Personnel and Special Services for over 28 years, retiring in 1993.  He continued serving by working in the CT State Department of Education surrogate Parent program for over 12 years as a surrogate parent.   John met his wife of 59 years,  Alice Pugh, while they were both graduate students in Cleveland. They lived in Colchester, CT for over 45 years where they raised their family. John continuously served his community over those years, active in civic affairs as well as with the Holy Name Society at St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church. a communicant of the St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church. He held several elected offices including Colchester Borough Treasurer and Town Treasurer. He also served several terms on the Board of Education, where he was a great advocate for the special education program. He volunteered for commissions and town-wide committees and was an active member of the Democratic Town Committee. During his years of retirement, he enjoyed traveling across the United States and abroad with his family, including many trips to Italy and to his parents’ home towns in Sicily.  A devoted father, John is survived by his five children: Ann of Madison, David of Tustin, CA, Carol Shanmugaratnam and husband, Santhan of West Roxbury, MA, Susan of Gaithersburg, MD and Jane of Chestnut Hill, MA; as well four nephews and a niece.  John was predeceased by his wife Alice; his parents, Anthony and Lucille (Salamone); as well as by his four siblings, Jean Lee, Andrew, Rosalie Mazzarella and Victor Merrell.  The family will receive guests 5 - 7 PM Friday (Oct. 6th) at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Rd., Colchester.  The Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated 10 AM Saturday (Oct. 7th) directly at St. Andrew Church, 128 Norwich Avenue, Colchester.  Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s memory to the Bacon Academy Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 213, Colchester, CT 06415.