Philip Ado Zando

Philip Ado Zando, 84, of Auburn passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 30, 2025, at St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston, Maine, where he had been a resident for four weeks. Philip had recently been diagnosed with leukemia.

Philip was born on May 26, 1940 in Watertown, New York. He was the oldest of three sons of Ado Anthony Zando and Phyllis Milvo Zando of Deferiet, New York, and later Jacksonville, Florida. Philip met his loving wife, Olivette Tessier, in March of 1965 in Bucksport, Maine. They married on August 6, 1966 at St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay, Maine, Olivette’s hometown. Olivette and Philip have four children: Nicole, Marla, Larissa, and Matthew.

Phil grew up in Deferiet, New York, and was a talented athlete and played football, baseball, and basketball at Carthage HS, in Carthage, NY, where he graduated in 1957. He attended Clarkson University and Villanova University before being employed by the Rouse Construction Company in Gouverneur, NY, where he started a professional career in the construction field. He served in the U.S. Army starting in November of 1962 and was stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In May of 1963, he was placed on reserve duty until October of 1968. After settling in the Lewiston-Auburn area in 1976, Philip became a longtime Project Manager for SW&B Construction Corporation, based in Auburn, Maine. He loved math and used his strong math skills in his work daily. Phil’s work took him to projects all over the United States.

Once retired, he enjoyed more time with his wife Ollie and their children and grandchildren. Phil loved sports, like the rest of the Zando Family, and he especially enjoyed following the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Throughout his married life he enjoyed Ollie’s homecooked meals, watching sports and the news, and reading newspapers. Phil liked watching the weather and sharing weather information with his family to ensure everyone’s safety. Philip cooked delicious chili and spaghetti dinners with recipes handed down from his father, Ado, who emigrated from Italy.

Philip had a great sense of humor and was also very dedicated to his wife, family, friends, his work, his community, and his Catholic faith. Phil volunteered for the East Auburn Men’s Club, a local organization, which supported the community, hosted the Little World’s Fair, participated in the annual Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival, and provided a scholarship annually to a student at Edward Little High School in Auburn. Phil also helped Ollie cook annual spaghetti dinners for her children’s choir members at St. Patrick’s Church in Lewiston.

The most important influence of Phil’s life was his Catholic faith. He prayed daily for his family and for anyone he knew, who needed special prayers. Phil loved the traditional Latin mass. When he was traveling for work or away on vacation, he tried to find one in the area to attend. Both he and his wife, Ollie, had a special place in their hearts for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, where young men were trained in the traditions of the Latin mass.

Phil is survived by his wife, Olivette Tessier Zando of Auburn, ME, his three daughters: Nicole (Shawn) Anderson of Topsham, ME, Marla Zando (Ken Fengler) of Scarborough, ME, Larissa (Sam) Sansome of Chicago, IL, and his son: Matthew Philip Zando of Auburn, ME, grandsons, Ben Anderson, Luke Anderson, Eli Fengler, and Zackary Fengler, his brothers, Peter (Elaine) Zando of Yorktown, VA, and Paul Zando of Jacksonville, FL, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Ado and Phyllis Zando.

Philip will have a Catholic funeral mass on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 11 a.m. at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. A reception will immediately follow at Marco’s Ristorante Italiano, also in Lewiston. A burial will occur at Holy Cross Cemetery in Livermore Falls, Maine, at a later date. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Fortin & Pinette Group in Auburn. Philip’s family would like to thank the staff of Central Maine Medical Center, St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion, and Beacon Hospice Care, who gave Philip kind and compassionate medical care during the last few months of his life. The Zando Family would also like to thank all the wonderful family members, friends, and neighbors for their thoughts, prayers, condolences, gifts, and visits from near and far.

Donations may be made, in memory of Philip Zando, to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary at OLGS, PO Box 147, Denton, NE, 68339 or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, PO Box 22324, New York, NY 10087, or a charity of one’s choice.