Obituary: John A. Vassallo, 89, of Waterbury

Obituary courtesy of Maiorano Funeral Home

Educator and World Traveler

John A. Vassallo, age 89, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Friday, July 30, 2021. He was the loving husband of Mary Christine “Tina” Vassallo.

Born on December 20, 1931, in Waterbury, John was the son of the late John A. and Anna (Colucci) Vassallo. He was a graduate of Crosby High School, recieved a Bachelor’s Degree from UCONN, and several Master’s Degrees from Central CT State University. He was a recipient of several scholarships to study Spanish. John studied at the University of Minnesota as well as in Quito, Ecuador. He was a proud U.S. Army veteran having been drafted after beginning his teaching career in Waterbury. He returned to Waterbury and to Sprague Elementary School where he taught for many years. Being gifted in languages (John was fluent in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese), he taught in the city’s Language Development Program. Later, he taught art and Spanish at John F. Kennedy High School. He retired in 1992, after 38 years of teaching and mentoring.

An accomplished chef, John and his culinary creations were featured in local and national publications. His favorite hobby and passion was gardening and sharing his vegetable bounty with his friends and neighbors. Above all, John was happiest when traveling the world. Widely traveled, John visited Mexico, Central and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Antarctica, as well as much of the United States. Because of his travels, he was fortunate to have made lifelong friends in Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, and Turkey.

In addition to Tina, his devoted wife of 50 years, John is survived by his sister-in-law Josephine Vassallo of Westbrook, CT; his three nephews Marc Vassallo and his wife Linda and their son Nicholas John Vassallo, Paul Vassallo and his wife Jeremy and their children Collin (Kenya) Vassallo, Trevor Vassallo, and Jason Vassallo; all of Seattle, WA and Ted Vassallo and his wife Christine and their son Teddy of Wayland, MA. He also leaves his cousins John Colucci, Michael Colucci, and Peter Colucci; all of Waterbury, CT, Marie Orsini Rosen and her husband Philip of Stamford, CT and their children Jessica Rosen of Venice, CA, and Matthew Rosen of New Orleans, LA; Antoinette Laccone and Margaret Laccone of Whitestone, NY; Gabriella Valenti and her daughters Claudia Mura and Alessandra Mura of Varese, Italy as well as his dear friend and travel companion Charlotte A. Renna of Waterbury, CT his former art student Miguel Cancel of Waterbury and former exchange student from Brazil (now of Toronto, CA), Guilherme Dickie. John was predeceased by his brother Domenic Vassallo, his beloved cousin Angeline (DeCosmo) Orsini and his cousin Franco Mura.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, from 10:30am-12:00pm at Maiorano Funeral Home, 95 Willow St., Waterbury, with a service beginning at 12:00pm. Everyone attending will be required to wear face masks and social distancing guidelines will be strictly followed. Burial with full military honors will follow the service in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions in John’s name may be made to: The Center for Creative Youth at Wesleyan University, 74 Wyllys Ave., Middletown, CT 06459. For additional information or to send online condolences to the family, please visit www.maioranofuneralhome.com.