Those left to treasure his memory include his wife of 62 years, Marlene; his daughter, Tami; sons Mark (Rachel) and Tony; grandchildren Nicole Passarelli (Rob), Kyle Zilberfarb (Katherine), Mary Zilberfarb, Karli Zilberfarb, Andrew Negri, Katy Negri, and Demi Lewis; great granddaughter Parker Passarelli and great grandson Lucas Passarelli. He is predeceased by his son, Stephen.
He is survived by his brother Charlie (Martha), sister Carla O’Connor, and is preceded in death by his mother Clelia Rossi (nee Danzi), his father John Rossi, and his brother, John.
Puci was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Western High School and Southeastern University. In the early 1950’s he joined and served in the U.S. Coast Guard for three years. He was very proud that his grandson, Kyle, followed in his footsteps and referred to Kyle as “the Admiral.” In 1955 he started his career at Washington Gas Light Company and remained there until his retirement in 1989, starting in Appliance Service and ending his career as a lobbyist for their Government Relations.
Puci was a snappy dresser and created his own fashion trends always incorporating bright colors. Tami remembers on more than one occasion at Washington Gas, various friends saying, “Look what your dad is wearing today!” He also enjoyed his one martini every night before dinner with olives, a dilly bean, and a pickled asparagus. It was like a salad in every drink!
He loved sports and during high school played basketball, baseball, and football. In 1946 he won the Western High School award for the high scoring forward on their Raider basketball team. He continued to play basketball and softball as an adult for both the Georgetown Boy’s Club and Washington Gas. He then started playing golf a little later and loved his annual Myrtle Beach golf trip with his Washington Gas buddies. Upon retirement from Washington Gas, he worked as a Golf Marshall at Washington Golf and Country Club and then for Congressional Country Club. He really enjoyed being a Golf Marshall as he got to ride around and talk to people all day!
Besides family and friends, Puci loved his music and was referred to by many as the “Music Man.” He enjoyed making CD’s for people to celebrate holidays and other special events. He was an excellent whistler and did so all the time; so much so that Marlene often thought she was married to a bird! He was famous for playing the bones and/or spoons and was always the life of the party. People would beg him to stay and continue playing even when the party was winding down. He loved to quack for children and did so for decades; it was like having a resident Donald Duck!
In recent years, Puci’s greatest joy was his great grandchildren. They would FaceTime him once or more per day and he would whistle and quack for them to their delight! He would always hang up grinning from ear to ear.
Though we have a huge void in our hearts and will miss him terribly, Puci’s family and loved ones feel so fortunate to have had him for so many years. His legacy will live on through his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren; and his memory will last forever.
In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial donation in his name to St. Jude’s @ https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html (If you wish the family to be notified of a donation it can be emailed to [email protected]) or you can donate by mail to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929.
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