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Services
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, November 12, 2015 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:00 AM from the funeral home then to Annunciation RC Church, 45 Urban Club Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
William “Bill” Zisa, age 86, of Wayne passed peacefully on Saturday, November 7, 2015.
He was born in Paterson, in a house across the street from his home at 73 Chestnut Street in Paterson, where a midwife lived and delivered him. Bill had seven sisters all birthed by the midwife, some at home, some at her home. He attended Eastside High School and later Passaic County Technical Institute in Paterson where he learned the mechanic trade.
His first job was as a mechanic at a gas station on Straight Street in Paterson. He went on to work at Teterboro Airport as a mechanic and later he worked at Allied Textile Printers in Paterson as a beamer before being inducted into the US Army. He served from 1948 through 1951 during the Korean War and related to his family that at first he was a radioman but soon found out they were frontline targets. He transferred to an artillery group to increase his odds of survival and found out they were targets just beyond the radioman; he then entered the infantry before being honorably discharged in 1951. After his military service Bill returned to Paterson and found work at Borden Ice Cream as a mechanic. He worked there twelve years before the company moved out of the area. Then Bill and his brother-in-law opened a business, Hi-Grade Cabinet, making cabinetry on Preakness Avenue in Paterson. He returned to his mechanic roots and worked for the Wonder Bread Corporation in Paterson as a diesel mechanic before retiring in 1991.
Bill is best described as a strong, strict person who was honest, fair, and would help just about anyone. His strong, strict persona was maintained raising four boys, but changed dramatically when he was around children. Bill would goof around with them, pull quarters out of their ears, and always had a card trick ready. He also loved Buicks and had several throughout his lifetime. His New York City suburb roots helped form him into a New York Yankee fan but those roots got lost somewhere along the way as he was a steadfast fan of the Dallas Cowboys. He was very proud of his Italian heritage, could speak fluent Italian, had his vegetable garden, and the requisite fig tree. Most of all Bill will be remembered for his strong love and devotion to his family; he was especially proud of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Many years ago he met a cute girl that was a waitress at the Colonial Tea Room in Paterson. While talking over the car one evening one of Bill’s friends asked her to sit in the car as she was in the way of their conversation. Once seated in the car Bill’s friend closed her door and Bill sped off with Rachael aboard. This thinly veiled attraction in more innocent times, some would call kidnapping today, was their first date. They fell in love and married at Saint Agnes RC Church in Paterson on November 25, 1951 and honeymooned for two days at the Hotel Century in New York City. During their honeymoon Bill got two tickets to see Judy Garland perform at the Palace Theatre. The only problem was the seats were very far apart. Their marriage of sixty-four years was characterized by love, devotion, and family.
Bill was the loving husband of Rachael (Longo) Zisa; devoted father of Carmen Zisa (Beth) of Saint Cloud, FL, William Zisa (Joanne) of Wayne, Anthony Zisa (Nancy) of New Castle, CA, and Joseph (Lisa) Zisa of Wayne; loved beyond words by his cherished grandchildren (Shannon, Sarah, Greg, Jessica, Alyssa, Billy, Nicole, Anthony, Joseph); and great-grandchildren (Colvin, Barrett, Levi, Kaley, Austin, Bianca, Blake, Juliana, Adriana); he was the dear brother of Helen Lendino of Pequannock, Emma DiFerdinando of Tampa, FL, and his late sisters Millie, Josephine, Ann, Mary, and Jennie. He was loved & adored by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorial donations to the American Cancer Society NJ Chapter, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 would be appreciated.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, November 12, 2015 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:00 AM from the funeral home then to Annunciation RC Church, 45 Urban Club Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, November 12, 2015 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:00 AM from the funeral home then to Annunciation RC Church, 45 Urban Club Road, Wayne where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
William “Bill” Zisa, age 86, of Wayne passed peacefully on Saturday, November 7, 2015.
He was born in Paterson, in a house across the street from his home at 73 Chestnut Street in Paterson, where a midwife lived and delivered him. Bill had seven sisters all birthed by the midwife, some at home, some at her home. He attended Eastside High School and later Passaic County Technical Institute in Paterson where he learned the mechanic trade.
His first job was as a mechanic at a gas station on Straight Street in Paterson. He went on to work at Teterboro Airport as a mechanic and later he worked at Allied Textile Printers in Paterson as a beamer before being inducted into the US Army. He served from 1948 through 1951 during the Korean War and related to his family that at first he was a radioman but soon found out they were frontline targets. He transferred to an artillery group to increase his odds of survival and found out they were targets just beyond the radioman; he then entered the infantry before being honorably discharged in 1951. After his military service Bill returned to Paterson and found work at Borden Ice Cream as a mechanic. He worked there twelve years before the company moved out of the area. Then Bill and his brother-in-law opened a business, Hi-Grade Cabinet, making cabinetry on Preakness Avenue in Paterson. He returned to his mechanic roots and worked for the Wonder Bread Corporation in Paterson as a diesel mechanic before retiring in 1991.
Bill is best described as a strong, strict person who was honest, fair, and would help just about anyone. His strong, strict persona was maintained raising four boys, but changed dramatically when he was around children. Bill would goof around with them, pull quarters out of their ears, and always had a card trick ready. He also loved Buicks and had several throughout his lifetime. His New York City suburb roots helped form him into a New York Yankee fan but those roots got lost somewhere along the way as he was a steadfast fan of the Dallas Cowboys. He was very proud of his Italian heritage, could speak fluent Italian, had his vegetable garden, and the requisite fig tree. Most of all Bill will be remembered for his strong love and devotion to his family; he was especially proud of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Many years ago he met a cute girl that was a waitress at the Colonial Tea Room in Paterson. While talking over the car one evening one of Bill’s friends asked her to sit in the car as she was in the way of their conversation. Once seated in the car Bill’s friend closed her door and Bill sped off with Rachael aboard. This thinly veiled attraction in more innocent times, some would call kidnapping today, was their first date. They fell in love and married at Saint Agnes RC Church in Paterson on November 25, 1951 and honeymooned for two days at the Hotel Century in New York City. During their honeymoon Bill got two tickets to see Judy Garland perform at the Palace Theatre. The only problem was the seats were very far apart. Their marriage of sixty-four years was characterized by love, devotion, and family.
Bill was the loving husband of Rachael (Longo) Zisa; devoted father of Carmen Zisa (Beth) of Saint Cloud, FL, William Zisa (Joanne) of Wayne, Anthony Zisa (Nancy) of New Castle, CA, and Joseph (Lisa) Zisa of Wayne; loved beyond words by his cherished grandchildren (Shannon, Sarah, Greg, Jessica, Alyssa, Billy, Nicole, Anthony, Joseph); and great-grandchildren (Colvin, Barrett, Levi, Kaley, Austin, Bianca, Blake, Juliana, Adriana); he was the dear brother of Helen Lendino of Pequannock, Emma DiFerdinando of Tampa, FL, and his late sisters Millie, Josephine, Ann, Mary, and Jennie. He was loved & adored by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorial donations to the American Cancer Society NJ Chapter, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 would be appreciated.
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