In Memory Of
Charles Paul Zarrelli
1941
2016
Charles Paul Zarrelli
December 2, 1941 — April 29, 2016
Charles Paul Zarrelli, 74, unexpectedly passed away on Friday, April 29, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
He was born on December 2, 1941, in Camden NJ to Carmen Samuel and Leah Garber Zarrelli and grew up in south Jersey with siblings Carmen Samuel, Nancy L. (Zarrelli) Deeney, and Dorothy Marie, as well as many cousins and extended relatives with whom he remained close his entire life.
He attended Riverside High School, where he was a star quarterback for the varsity football team. He graduated in 1959 and then attended Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where he also played football and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1962, and while in service attended a year-long program at Yale University learning Mandarin Chinese. He went on to earn a BA in Journalism from the University of Houston.
In 1969 he met and married Margaret L. Cott, in Brownsville, TX. They lived briefly in California before returning to New Jersey, where their first daughter Jennifer M. (Zarrelli) Parsons was born, in 1970. Second daughter Anne-Marie was born in 1975. While living in New Jersey, he taught and coached at Riverside High School, was a sportswriter for a local paper, and ran a crew of cement masons.
In 1979 the family moved to Saline County, MO, where Charles taught at Central R-II Elementary school, near Slater, MO, before becoming an instructor at Johnson County Community College in 1983. Charles and Margaret divorced in 1989.
Later in life, Charles became active in the Senior Olympics and enjoyed race-walking and collecting locomotive and sports memorabilia. He was also involved with the Kansas City Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), even serving as its President in 2010.
In 2011 he married Paula English, who also works at JCCC. The two enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family, especially their grandchildren, who they love very, very much.
Charles is survived by wife Paula, sisters Nancy and Dorothy, daughters Jennifer and Anne-Marie, son-in-law Brian Parsons and grandson Seth, step-sons Chris Kessler and Craig Kessler, step-granddaughters Sarah Kessler, Kassidy English, and Lacey Vantuyl, nephews Alan Zarrelli and Chuck Zarrelli and Timothy Cott, and nieces Mary Ellen Fitzgerald and Caroline Deeney. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Carmen, and nephew Carmen "Rocky" Zarrelli.
Mel Brooks and Pink Panther movies, "medicinal" ice cream stops, and cross-country road trips will never be the same. Charles was well-loved and will be sorely missed.
Memorial gifts may be given to Johnson County Community College Foundation, 12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS 66210 or online at www.jccc.edu/foundationonline. Please note 'Zarrelli Endowment' with your gift.
He was born on December 2, 1941, in Camden NJ to Carmen Samuel and Leah Garber Zarrelli and grew up in south Jersey with siblings Carmen Samuel, Nancy L. (Zarrelli) Deeney, and Dorothy Marie, as well as many cousins and extended relatives with whom he remained close his entire life.
He attended Riverside High School, where he was a star quarterback for the varsity football team. He graduated in 1959 and then attended Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where he also played football and was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1962, and while in service attended a year-long program at Yale University learning Mandarin Chinese. He went on to earn a BA in Journalism from the University of Houston.
In 1969 he met and married Margaret L. Cott, in Brownsville, TX. They lived briefly in California before returning to New Jersey, where their first daughter Jennifer M. (Zarrelli) Parsons was born, in 1970. Second daughter Anne-Marie was born in 1975. While living in New Jersey, he taught and coached at Riverside High School, was a sportswriter for a local paper, and ran a crew of cement masons.
In 1979 the family moved to Saline County, MO, where Charles taught at Central R-II Elementary school, near Slater, MO, before becoming an instructor at Johnson County Community College in 1983. Charles and Margaret divorced in 1989.
Later in life, Charles became active in the Senior Olympics and enjoyed race-walking and collecting locomotive and sports memorabilia. He was also involved with the Kansas City Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), even serving as its President in 2010.
In 2011 he married Paula English, who also works at JCCC. The two enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family, especially their grandchildren, who they love very, very much.
Charles is survived by wife Paula, sisters Nancy and Dorothy, daughters Jennifer and Anne-Marie, son-in-law Brian Parsons and grandson Seth, step-sons Chris Kessler and Craig Kessler, step-granddaughters Sarah Kessler, Kassidy English, and Lacey Vantuyl, nephews Alan Zarrelli and Chuck Zarrelli and Timothy Cott, and nieces Mary Ellen Fitzgerald and Caroline Deeney. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Carmen, and nephew Carmen "Rocky" Zarrelli.
Mel Brooks and Pink Panther movies, "medicinal" ice cream stops, and cross-country road trips will never be the same. Charles was well-loved and will be sorely missed.
Memorial gifts may be given to Johnson County Community College Foundation, 12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS 66210 or online at www.jccc.edu/foundationonline. Please note 'Zarrelli Endowment' with your gift.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Charles Paul Zarrelli, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Service
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Starts at 2:00 pm (Central time)
Penwell-Gabel - Olathe Chapel
Guestbook
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