John A. Ferrarella

John A. Ferrarella, Sr. age 70 of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

John was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the youngest of Dominick and Lillian’s two children. He was raised in Paterson and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School with the class of 1968. Following graduation, John enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and served his country, including in the Vietnam War, from July 1969 until his honorable discharge in July 1975. During his time in the USMC, John earned a national defense service medal. John went on to study at Passaic County Community College.  A long-time resident of Paterson, John moved to Wayne with his family where he lived for the last 20 years.

In his lifetime of service John impacted many lives - past, present and future. He was an active member of the Passaic Valley Elks Lodge where he served as Exalted Ruler in 1985 and recently attended the lodge’s 60th anniversary. He later earned the rank of Captain with the Paterson Fire Department where he was instrumental in the newly developed Paterson EMS system and P.E.M.T.A. John was affectionately known by his squad members as Cap or Cappy, Tsets, and Buddha amongst other nicknames.
He would later serve as the EMT-Basic Program coordinator at Passaic County Community College, instructor at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute, and was an EMT evaluator. John continued to work as an EMT at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority until his final days.

In addition to his family, one of John’s greatest passions was motor vehicles. Before starting a family of his own, one of John’s first loves was his prized Corvette which he bestowed to his nephew, Raymond, should anything happen to him. John knew Raymond was the perfect choice since he would cherish and care for the car as much as John did. Little did John know, Patti always told her friend Maria she’d love to meet the guy who owned the Corvette parked under the light at the end of the parking lot. Later in life John took to loving motorcycles. He transferred this love into service as he worked as an instructor for the Bergen County Harley Davidson Motorcycle Program, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and The Riding Academy of NJ teaching new riders safety and proper motorcycle technique. John of course always emulated perfect safety – don’t think for a second you would catch him on the bike without a helmet, his trusted floppy hat, sunglasses, long pants, gloves, and a thick jacket even in the heat of summer.

John’s love for service and vehicles was only surpassed by the love he had for his family.  John was a devoted husband to his wife Patricia of more than 36 years, and an amazing father to his three sons, John Jr., Matthew, and Justin, his pride and joy.  John lived for his family. John cherished his dates with Patti at the diner, his favorite breakfast spot, where it never mattered how long before he got back in his chair. He was most proud to be a husband and a father, and his eyes lit up every time his family made unannounced visits to the firehouse. He never missed a baseball game and made countless walks to Gelotti’s in Paterson to satisfy his and his children’s sweet tooth.  During their college years, John trekked many miles to Boston and South Carolina to make sure his boys were moved in properly and that he could spend every last minute with them before the beginning of each new semester - even if it was spent napping on the futon (or the “fondue” as he commonly referred to it).

Every holiday morning, John could be found in the kitchen donning a festive apron making his specialties: taylor ham, bacon, eggs and pancakes.  Breakfast was one of John’s favorite meals of the day along with lunch, dinner, and dessert.  John loved to relax in the yard, on the deck or in the pool, and never turned down a chance to share a Bud Light or cigar with one of his sons.  His friends and family will also remember his love to tell jokes and stories, particularly Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First” routine which he watched with his family countless times.  Most recently John’s stories were about how proud he was of his growing family: the welcoming of the three new wonderful daughters-in-law that he loved dearly, as well as his excitement to learn that he would soon be a grandpa.

John was devoted in his faith to God and was a longtime parishioner of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Paterson and the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Wayne.

John is survived by his beloved wife Patricia of Wayne and their three cherished children: John and his fiancée Noni of Manhattan, Matthew and his wife Greta of Los Angeles, and Justin and his fiancée Christine of Lafayette; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; and countless friends, neighbors and colleagues. He was predeceased by his sister Delores.