Salvatore J. Mazzarella
Bozrah — Salvatore Joseph Mazzarella, 65, of Hickory Lane, Bozrah, passed away at his home, surrounded by his loving family Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, after a courageous twoyear battle with lymphoma.
Salvatore was born Feb. 19, 1955, in Hartford. He was the oldest son of five children of the late Joseph Mazzarella and Nancy (DiMauro) Mazzarella, who resides in Florida. Sal has three sisters, Josie, Dora and Mary, and one brother, Paul.
Salvatore married Dawn (DeSario) May 21, 1983, at Harkness Chapel in New London. They have two children: a son, Joseph Paul Mazzarella, married to Ashley Mazzarella of Branford; and a daughter, Deborah Rose (Mazzarella) Perez, married to Michael Perez of Newport, R.I. Joseph is a paramedic and firefighter for the Town of Branford and Deborah is an elementary teacher in Newport, R.I. Deborah’s husband, Michael Perez, is the Senior Pastor of Cross Point Church in Newport, R.I., and he will officiate at the graveside ceremony.
Salvatore lived in Hartford for most of his childhood. He was a graduate of St. Augustine School and afterwards became an apprentice at his father’s masonry company. He mastered many forms of masonry, carpentry and building construction skills. He continued to expand his construction knowledge and was licensed to build homes within the State of Connecticut. “Sal” started his own company and as proprietor of Mazzarella Construction, LLC, he designed and built numerous custom-designed homes throughout Connecticut. A master builder, Salvatore gained a reputation for being a perfectionist in his work. The “Showcase of Homes Magazine” published two articles about Salvatore’s exacting standards. One article featured Sal’s innovative thermal heating system and the second article highlighted Sal’s superior craftsmanship and design.
Salvatore had a great passion for reading, teaching, and spreading the word of God, especially the gospel of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Sal supported many missionaries in foreign countries. He was a compassionate person who could be counted on to help wherever and whenever needed. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, where 220,000 people died, Salvatore immediately organized a team of builders from Calvary Chapel Church in Montville and flew with them to Haiti to use his knowledge and expertise to tirelessly help the people of Haiti rebuild their homes.
Salvatore eagerly supported his wife’s passion for teaching children’s theater, and he participated in her club called ACTS (ALL CALLED TO SHINE), a community theater group which taught the true meaning of Christmas and Easter to children. ACTS raised funds for several nonprofit organizations, such as the local soup kitchen and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Using his expert design and building skills, Sal made short work of elaborate stage props and detailed sound systems. The success of each performance was directly related to his relentless, enthusiastic contributions.
Salvatore’s mechanical skills enabled Dawn to own and operate Little Rascals, a private day care center. Sal genuinely enjoyed the children’s company and he wowed them with his creation of elaborate Lego structures. He loved entertaining and teaching them and they were amazed at his ability. Sal built a playground outside the day care and it included a lifesized rowboat for imaginative children to sail away with the sharks and whales in a lively ocean adventure.
Salvatore was a great neighbor because he was especially mindful of the elderly and physically challenged. After a blizzard, he would drive his snowplow around the neighborhood, helping people who were stuck or needed their driveways cleared.
Salvatore was a wonderful husband, devoted father, and proud grandfather to Bradley Alexander Perez, his first grandson who just turned 1 year old. We believe Salvatore’s finest legacy will be the way he showed his steadfast love of Christ, first to his family, then to his neighbors and then to everyone else, even abroad.
The family of Salvatore Mazzarella would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Scott Huntington, PA; Ethan and their team, and the many exceptionally talented nurses, assistant PCAs, and staff of the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital. After Sal’s initial diagnosis of stage 4 lymphoma, they did a phenomenal job fighting against that aggressive type of cancer and their focused efforts gave Sal two more precious years to spend with his cherished family.
To honor Sal’s well-lived life, a Christian burial and ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Maplewood Cemetery, 182 Salem Turnpike, Norwich. The family requests that all participants please wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.