DANVERS - Mr. John S. Zavaglia, 65, of Danvers, beloved husband of Ellen (Chadbourne) Zavaglia, passed away on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at Beverly Hospital.
Born in Salem, he was the son of the late Salvatore and Priscilla “Pat” (Consolazio) Zavaglia. He was raised and educated in Salem and was a graduate of Salem High School.
Mr. Zavaglia had been employed for years at New England Life Insurance Company in their Information Technology Department.
John’s main passions in life can be summed up in three simple words, food, politics and sports. He eventually returned to college attending Bunker Hill Community College where he received a degree in, Culinary Arts. He began his food service career at Brooksby Village in Peabody but soon landed his dream job at Endicott College, where he spent his days at the healthy food station serving students while learning about their lives and studies; interacting with the kids was one of his true enjoyments.
One never to pass up a good debate, John was naturally drawn to politics. With his keen sense of right and wrong; he was always ready to do battle for any just cause. He enjoyed attending town meetings, being involved in local politics, and hosting his show Topics of The Town on DCAT alongside his friend Mark Zuberek. John took his civic duties very seriously and helped many people throughout his life.
An avid sports fan he enjoyed watching many of the local teams, discussing up-and-coming players with his buddy Carmine, and playing softball in his younger years. He especially loved watching golf and always had sports trivia ready for anyone who cared to play along. John had a head for facts and figures. He knew so many random facts about random things, he was almost like a human encyclopedia.
Above all else John was devoted to his family and those he considered family. He was a loving husband, father, brother, and friend. He always had the biggest laugh and the biggest heart in the room. John would give the shirt off his back to someone who truly needed it and often answered the phone with, "What do you need?" He was a people person and he couldn't go anywhere without running into at least one person he knew. He was truly happiest when in the company of friends and family, and serving them food he'd cooked. John will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
Surviving John, in addition to his wife Ellen with whom he shared over 17 years of marriage, is his stepdaughter, Sara Johnson and her husband, Bradford of Danvers, his twin sister, Joanna Thompson and her husband, James of East Orlando, FL, his cousin, Leah Sak of Beverly and his very dear friends, Deborah and Douglas Cummings of Andover and Leila and Joshua Berry of Norwood, Richard Smith of Pacifica, CA and Carolyn and Richard Wakefield of Lynn.
ARRANGEMENTS: Relatives and friends are invited to his funeral service which will be held in O’Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 167 Maple St., (Rte. 62) DANVERS on Friday, December 3rd at 6:30 P.M. A short visitation will be held prior to the service from 5 to 6 P.M. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may be made in John’s memory to The National Kidney Foundation, 30 E. 33rd St., New York, NY 10016 or www.kidney.org. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.
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