Deacon Donald Zampella

Deacon Donald W. Zampella, 76, of South Amboy died peacefully at home on Monday August 12, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. Born in Jersey City, NJ on September 10, 1942, he was educated there, attending St. Paul of the Cross Grammar School and Dickinson High School as well as two technical schools. He was a member of the National Guard from 1963-1969. Spanning from 1974 to 2003 he owned two retail businesses and one wholesale business. In 2001 he earned his ministry certificate from the College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown and was ordained to the diaconate on June 9, 2001. He served at St. Bernadette Parish in Parlin for 17 years until his retirement in 2018, where he taught CCD, RCIA, trained altar servers, lectors and Eucharistic Ministers and taught baptismal preparation and pre-cana classes. He was the NJ State Chaplain for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, as well as Chaplain for the Queenship of Mary Court in St. Bernadette. He was a member of the Holy Name Society and a third degree Knight of Columbus. He was loved and adored by his parishioners and was totally devoted to his family, his parish and his God. In his free time he enjoyed traveling, sightseeing and gardening.

Son of the late John and Louise Stehling Zampella he is survived by his wife of 47 years Octavia; their daughter Cristina; son Andrew and his wife Sarah, son Kenneth and his wife Kasey; he was “Papa” to Neva, Amelia and Aria Zampella; his brother John and his wife Maria; his sister Margaret Buonauro and her husband Gabriel; his sisters-in-law Agatha Emmer and her husband James and Camille DePinto; his brother-in-law Leonardo DePinto and his wife Carol; 18 nieces and nephews; 22 great-nieces and nephews and many cousins.

Deacon Don’s body will be received at St. Bernadette Church, 20 Villanova Road, Parlin on Friday August 16, 2019 at 1pm and will lie in state from 1 to 4 and 5:30 to 8pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday August 17 at 10am followed by entombment at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Flowers are not requested. In lieu of flowers the family respectfully requests that donations be made in memory of Deacon Donald Zampella to Mount Saviour Monastery, 231 Monastery Road, Pine City, NY 14871, or to Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at cinj.org/giving.

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