John Zuverink

John (Jack) Zuverink, 90, of Colchester, passed away in Middletown on April 7, 2022, with his daughter Mary and sister June by his side. He was born to the late John and Mary Elizabeth (Davis) in Columbus, OH on October 15, 1931. He leaves behind his wife, Helen Marie Alstad Zuverink, his daughter, Mary Virginia Zuverink Rueff, and his sister, June Elaine Zuverink Ice.

In addition to his wife Helen, his daughter Mary and her husband Matt, and his sister June, Jack is survived by his sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Zuverink; daughter-in-law Cassandra Cyr Zuverink, his son Jim’s widow; stepdaughter Linda Eselunas and her husband Donald; stepsons Thomas Hast and his wife Terry; Erik Masi and his wife Mary; and Tony Masi, and his husband Jason Ortiz; nieces Karen Ice, Kay Zuverink Vitelli Hagan, and Sondra Ice; nephews Roger Ice, Mark Zuverink, and David Zuverink; eleven grandchildren: Madison Zuverink and her husband Dylan Tuttle, Michael Charles Rueff, James Thorburn Rueff and his wife Mary-Kathryn, Paige Drudon Zuverink, Rebecca Alferi, Jeremy Eselunas, Tara Hast, Emily Hast and her husband Paulie Raczewski, Reese Masi, Faith Masi, and Sage Masi; and eight great-grandchildren: Sigge Tuttle, Eulalie Tuttle, Donovan Ingles, Leah Alferi, Sebastian Hast, Spencer Hast, Juliet Raczewski, and Harrison Raczewski.

Jack was predeceased by his wife Drue, two sons, John and Jim, his brother, David Lee Zuverink, and his stepson, Don Hast.

A proud veteran, Jack served his country for four years during the Korean Conflict period, from 1952-1956. After his time with the Navy, Jack graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1959 with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He spent more than 30 years with the Otis Elevator company, serving the company in various roles throughout his career.

Jack married Drusilla Boyd Cox in 1958 and enjoyed almost 26 years of marriage with Drue, who passed away in 1984. They had three children, Mary Virginia, John Boyd, and James (Jim) Davis. After making his final work transfer with Otis from the Chicago area to the Hartford area in 1987, Jack met and married Helen in 1988, with whom he shared more than 33 years of marriage.

Throughout his life, Jack enjoyed singing and sang bass and baritone in choirs at the various Presbyterian churches his family attended. He sang in barbershop quartets early in his life in high school and in the Navy. Jazz was his favorite musical genre, but he also enjoyed classical and sacred music.

Jack had a keen mind with attention to detail and helped keep everyone organized. He liked to tinker with things, enjoyed electronics, and repaired early television sets in the 1960s and 1970s, with the tubes and other parts strewn across the living room floor while he worked on them. While living in Louisville, KY, he was in charge of tape recording the choir at church each Sunday and spent hours running and listening to the big reel-to-reel tape recordings after services. Jack enjoyed fishing, whether it was in a lake or the ocean, and was involved with the Boy Scouts of America with his sons John and Jim.

After retiring in 1993, Jack was able to spend more time smoking his favorite cigars, watching TV, and traveling with Helen, particularly to their favorite beaches. He especially enjoyed their trips to Cape Cod, MA. Jack liked watching sports, both professional and college, although he was not a die-hard fan of any one team. With his career moves with Otis throughout the Midwest in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Illinois prior to moving to Connecticut, Jack always rooted for the home team of wherever he was living at the time. The last team he cheered on was the Boston Red Sox and he liked to wear the Red Sox sweatshirt he received for his 90th birthday. Jack enjoyed good food and drink, liked to grill and smoke meat, and could be counted on to be the life of any party!

To honor Jack’s memory, please consider making a donation to a Veterans’ nonprofit such as the Gary Sinese Foundation at www.garysinesefoundation.org , or the Wounded Warrior Project at http://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.

There will be a celebration of Jack’s life in Connecticut on Saturday, July 23, 2022 with location and time to be determined. Folks are encouraged to monitor the funeral home website for updates regarding the details. To share a memory or express condolences to Jack’s family please visit: www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.