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March 28, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, March 30, 2014 from 2-5 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Monday, March 31, 2014 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Pompeii RC Church, Paterson, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa Borough.
Samuel C. Rizzo, age 80 of Totowa Borough, NJ died peacefully on Friday, March 28, 2014 with his daughters at his bedside.
Sam was raised in Paterson and graduated from Central High School with the class of 1951. Sadly, his father passed away when he was just 18 years old and Sam began working full time to support the family. These early experiences molded Sam into one of the kindest, selfless people you would ever meet and he was always there to help friends and family alike. At the age of 23, Uncle Sam “came looking for him” and he went off to serve in the U.S. Army. Coincidentally, he found himself serving on base with Elvis Presley! Although Elvis was quite the international celebrity, Sam and the other soldiers were not big fans when Elvis was given his own personal barracks, easy duty, private transportation and all sorts of special treatment. Nevertheless, Sam served his country proudly and made some lifelong friends. He recently reunited with his longtime Army friend, Jerry Kramer, in California and the two of them had been exchanging letters and sharing their favorite recipes.
After the service, Sam began working with Singer-Kearfott in Totowa Borough as a machinist. His daughters recall him working three shifts most of his life, working so hard and making sure they were all taken care of. He truly enjoyed his career at Singer-Kearfott though, especially when he had the opportunity to teach a fresh-out-of-college engineer a thing or two about design. He was well respected among the engineers at Kearfott and regarded as one of their finest machinists. He could create anything they dreamed of, often applying his practical experience to improve upon their designs. He retired as Supervisor of the Inertial Lab at Singer-Kearfott, with top government security clearance, in 1991.
During his early career at Singer-Kearfott, Sam met a beautiful young secretary; Anna Branigan, whom everyone called “Marge”. They secretly dated for a short while (dating was forbidden among employees at Singer-Kearfott), before getting married on October 8, 1961 at St. Bonaventure’s RC Church in Paterson and honeymooning at Niagara Falls. Over the years, they traveled together on many weekend vacations to Pennsylvania, Las Vegas once, and even ventured to Brazil. Their trip to Brazil had quite an impact on Sam, where he witnessed poverty on a level that many of us here in the U.S. can’t even imagine, and this experience made him even more generous towards others. They did everything together and made it a point to never go to bed angry with one-another. Sam and Marge enjoyed forty eight years together before Marge passed in 2009. Sam loved her dearly and losing her was very hard for him these past five years.
Truth be known; Sam was a passionate man and he had several other loves too. He was endeared to his vegetable garden and took great pride in the wonderful, award-winning harvests he enjoyed year after year. He grew everything from seed and believed that the secret to his garden success was simple; “good soil.” He was also passionate about cooking. He made some of the most wonderful meals for his family and friends. He loved cooking for church events, feeding hundreds of people at a time, and the Totowa Borough First Aid Squad, and Luau’s were also favorite events of his. He cooked for untold numbers of people, often with his brother Pat right by his side. He especially loved cooking for his hunting buddies at their camp in Pennsylvania. The “Bear Paw Hunting Lodge”, as they called it, always held a special place in Sam’s heart and the friends he enjoyed throughout the years there are all very dear to him. Without a doubt, there were many good times enjoyed by all of them at that hunting lodge. Sam was a true friend to many people and he remained close with people throughout his entire life. He had close friends from his days in the Army more than sixty years ago, as well as many of the people who were in his wedding party, fellow volunteers at the First Aid Squad, at work, and everywhere in between. He was a loyal, kind, and giving friend and they will all miss him dearly.
For Sam, the birth of his grandson Stephen opened a whole new chapter in his life. Stephen was the apple of his eye and never went without a day guiding him to be happy and especially to excel in school, stressing the importance of a good education. He also shared his love of fishing and going up to camp as much as school would allow. There was never anyone else in the room whenever those two were together. From the moment Stephen was born, they shared a very special bond only a Grandson could fill.
Sam is survived by his two daughters; MaryAnn Rizzo of Totowa Borough, Sandra Hogquist and her fiancé Paul of Belford, NJ, one grandson; Stephen Hogquist, Jr. of Belford, NJ, and one sister; Sally Vivino of Woodland Park, NJ, and a list of loving friends too numerous to name. He was predeceased by his wife Marge in 2009, and by is two brothers; Ed and Pat.
Friends wishing to make a donation in Sam’s memory are asked to please consider his beloved church; Our Lady of Pompeii RC Church, 70 Murray Ave., Paterson, NJ 07501.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, March 30, 2014 from 2-5 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Monday, March 31, 2014 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Pompeii RC Church, Paterson, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa Borough.
March 28, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, March 30, 2014 from 2-5 PM.
Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Monday, March 31, 2014 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Pompeii RC Church, Paterson, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa Borough.
Samuel C. Rizzo, age 80 of Totowa Borough, NJ died peacefully on Friday, March 28, 2014 with his daughters at his bedside.
Sam was raised in Paterson and graduated from Central High School with the class of 1951. Sadly, his father passed away when he was just 18 years old and Sam began working full time to support the family. These early experiences molded Sam into one of the kindest, selfless people you would ever meet and he was always there to help friends and family alike. At the age of 23, Uncle Sam “came looking for him” and he went off to serve in the U.S. Army. Coincidentally, he found himself serving on base with Elvis Presley! Although Elvis was quite the international celebrity, Sam and the other soldiers were not big fans when Elvis was given his own personal barracks, easy duty, private transportation and all sorts of special treatment. Nevertheless, Sam served his country proudly and made some lifelong friends. He recently reunited with his longtime Army friend, Jerry Kramer, in California and the two of them had been exchanging letters and sharing their favorite recipes.
After the service, Sam began working with Singer-Kearfott in Totowa Borough as a machinist. His daughters recall him working three shifts most of his life, working so hard and making sure they were all taken care of. He truly enjoyed his career at Singer-Kearfott though, especially when he had the opportunity to teach a fresh-out-of-college engineer a thing or two about design. He was well respected among the engineers at Kearfott and regarded as one of their finest machinists. He could create anything they dreamed of, often applying his practical experience to improve upon their designs. He retired as Supervisor of the Inertial Lab at Singer-Kearfott, with top government security clearance, in 1991.
During his early career at Singer-Kearfott, Sam met a beautiful young secretary; Anna Branigan, whom everyone called “Marge”. They secretly dated for a short while (dating was forbidden among employees at Singer-Kearfott), before getting married on October 8, 1961 at St. Bonaventure’s RC Church in Paterson and honeymooning at Niagara Falls. Over the years, they traveled together on many weekend vacations to Pennsylvania, Las Vegas once, and even ventured to Brazil. Their trip to Brazil had quite an impact on Sam, where he witnessed poverty on a level that many of us here in the U.S. can’t even imagine, and this experience made him even more generous towards others. They did everything together and made it a point to never go to bed angry with one-another. Sam and Marge enjoyed forty eight years together before Marge passed in 2009. Sam loved her dearly and losing her was very hard for him these past five years.
Truth be known; Sam was a passionate man and he had several other loves too. He was endeared to his vegetable garden and took great pride in the wonderful, award-winning harvests he enjoyed year after year. He grew everything from seed and believed that the secret to his garden success was simple; “good soil.” He was also passionate about cooking. He made some of the most wonderful meals for his family and friends. He loved cooking for church events, feeding hundreds of people at a time, and the Totowa Borough First Aid Squad, and Luau’s were also favorite events of his. He cooked for untold numbers of people, often with his brother Pat right by his side. He especially loved cooking for his hunting buddies at their camp in Pennsylvania. The “Bear Paw Hunting Lodge”, as they called it, always held a special place in Sam’s heart and the friends he enjoyed throughout the years there are all very dear to him. Without a doubt, there were many good times enjoyed by all of them at that hunting lodge. Sam was a true friend to many people and he remained close with people throughout his entire life. He had close friends from his days in the Army more than sixty years ago, as well as many of the people who were in his wedding party, fellow volunteers at the First Aid Squad, at work, and everywhere in between. He was a loyal, kind, and giving friend and they will all miss him dearly.
For Sam, the birth of his grandson Stephen opened a whole new chapter in his life. Stephen was the apple of his eye and never went without a day guiding him to be happy and especially to excel in school, stressing the importance of a good education. He also shared his love of fishing and going up to camp as much as school would allow. There was never anyone else in the room whenever those two were together. From the moment Stephen was born, they shared a very special bond only a Grandson could fill.
Sam is survived by his two daughters; MaryAnn Rizzo of Totowa Borough, Sandra Hogquist and her fiancé Paul of Belford, NJ, one grandson; Stephen Hogquist, Jr. of Belford, NJ, and one sister; Sally Vivino of Woodland Park, NJ, and a list of loving friends too numerous to name. He was predeceased by his wife Marge in 2009, and by is two brothers; Ed and Pat.
Friends wishing to make a donation in Sam’s memory are asked to please consider his beloved church; Our Lady of Pompeii RC Church, 70 Murray Ave., Paterson, NJ 07501.
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