On July 25, 2024, Jesus called His good and faithful servant, John Galzarano, 85, to his heavenly home. He was reunited with his son, Shawn and his parents, Angelo and Esther (Pratt) Galzarano-DeSantis, along with his brothers and sisters-in-law, Dominick (Margaret) and Angelo (Shirley) Galzarano and mother-in-law, Yolanda Rizzo.
John loved God, his family and his country. He was a committed Christian, who strove to live a life which honored the Lord, and was a member of St. John the Baptist Church, for decades. John was devoted to his family, sharing 55 years of marriage with his wife, Marie. The two were inseparable and the love and respect they had for one another, was inspiring. They were truly a team and worked together, along with their friends, et. al., to help establish a kindergarten at St. John the Baptist School, to honor the son they lost as a little boy. Their daughter, Sharon, was John’s pride and joy; his love and support for her was evident in his volunteering his time when she was a Girl Scout, as a Center band parent and at Duquesne University. John often said one of his happiest moments was seeing Sharon graduate from Duquesne’s School of Pharmacy. Their admiration was mutual; she frequently expressed that God had blessed her with the “best Dad.” In her acceptance speech of an Alumni award, she thanked her Dad and Mom for the positive impact they had in her life and shared “While I am so grateful for this award, nothing I could achieve professionally, could surpass the pride I feel, in being your daughter.” When she asked her parents to rise, to be recognized, they were met with a standing ovation.
In addition to Marie, Sharon and her special friend, Michael Laughlin, John was also deeply loved by his surviving sisters, Doris (Jack) Meany and Gloria (Jeff) McKinney and his sister-in-law, Eileen Rizzo, and was a caring uncle to many nieces and nephews. He was a loyal friend to many, and although he was a man of few words, when John spoke, his advice was filled with wisdom and delivered in love.
As a man who felt grateful to be an American, he honorably served his country in the US Army, which earned him the nickname “Army John” at work; given his disciplined nature and strong work ethic, it was not surprising he received several medals, during his service. His career included many years at LTV Steel’s welded tube department and at St. Catherine of Sienna Church, where he leveraged his exceptional gardening skills to create a serene area, for people to pray. An avid swimmer since his youth, he once risked his own life, to help save a child from drowning in the ocean.
John was a compassionate gentleman with a generous spirit, who quietly shared his time and resources, to live with purpose; his life was a testament to his favorite verse, Romans 8:28.
Visitation will be from 4-7pm on Monday, July 29th, 2024 at Simpson Funeral & Cremation Services in Monaca, with a blessing service and military honors at 11am, July 30th. Inurnment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St Jude.
The family would like to thank Sharon’s friends, Dr. Cynthia Sanoski and Richard Work for their love, support and thoughtfulness.