Jerome J. Zavada's Obituary
Jerome J. Zavada, 89, of Edgewater Park, NJ passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, February 6th. Jerry was one of six children born to Agnes (Warganin) and Joseph Zavada in Wyoming, PA. He and his beloved wife, Dorothy (Wassil), celebrated 60 years of marriage this past Fall.
Jerry is preceded in death by his parents and four of his siblings: Andrew, Agnes (Babe), Dorothy and Regina (Jean).
In addition to his wife, Jerry is survived by his sister, Marie, and his four children and their families: Joseph and Luminita Zavada; Cheryl (Zavada) and James Lutz; Robert and Susan Zavada; Debra (Zavada) and Christopher Hope. Jerry deeply cherished his role as ‘Pop’ to his nine grandchildren and their partners as well as one great grandchild: Alina married to Alex, Nicholas and his fiancé Ashley, Ryan, Alexander, Christopher II, Michael, Alyssa, Madelyn, Ava and Benjamin.
In his younger years Jerry had the privilege of serving his country in both the US Naval Reserves and active duty with the US Air Force. Upon leaving the service he earned a BS in Economics from Kings College, Wilkes Barre, PA and a Masters degree in Education from Glassboro State College, Glassboro, NJ. Upon graduation he pursued his love of teaching for 33 years in the Delanco School District. He always enjoyed running into former students and reminiscing with them.
Jerry loved the holidays and was the center of every family gathering. He rarely missed any of his grandchildren’s games or activities; he was always the first to reward all of their many achievements. Daily and Sunday Mass were part of his regular routine and he loved putting family and faith above all else.
His retirement days were spent on the golf course, at the casino or tending to his yard and garden. He enjoyed a nice glass of red wine, an extra saucy slice of pizza, listening to Andrea Bocelli and never missed a televised sporting event following all of his Philly teams and of course, Notre Dame. He was a master at solving daily newspaper puzzles.
A gathering of family and friends will be held this Friday from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church 11 S. Sunset Road Willingboro, NJ 08046. Jerry’s Memorial Mass will follow at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to the American Lung Association lung.org
To share your fondest memories of Jerry, please visit www.givnish.com
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