Mark Zafuto Obituary, Resident Of Maumee OH, Died At 69

Mark Zafuto Obituary, Death- Mark Stephen Zafuto, who resided in Maumee, Ohio, left this world in May 2023 at the age of 69. He passed away in peace.

He was the first child to be born to Joyce Brown and Joseph Zafuto in Newfane, New York. He spent his childhood on Lake Ontario, which is where he developed his love for the Great Lakes. He received his education in the Newfane School system, where he excelled academically and was also a member of the wrestling and football teams. Along with his siblings Donna (Carl) Brinegar, David (Fran) Zafuto, and Richard (Diana) Zafuto, he spent a portion of the summer months at the family camp on Lake Muskoka, which is located in the province of Ontario in Canada.

He went to Bowling Green State University, and it was there that he met six people who would go on to become some of his closest friends for the rest of his life. After dropping out of college to join the United States Air Force, Mark gained an interest in nursing while working as a medic in the military.

After he was discharged from the military, he met Susan Dandareau, who would later become his partner of 47 years. Together, they traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he attended the University of New Mexico to receive his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. After completing his education, he began his career by working in pediatric intensive care and later moved on to the Veterans Affairs Hospital.

His son Isaac was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the family lived in a modest A-frame house in the Manzano Mountains, which was situated on two acres. After a period of eight years, the couple moved back to Ohio, where he resumed his schooling and ultimately obtained three doctoral degrees, an advanced practice license, and broadened his knowledge in the field of cardiac intensive care.

Later in life, he pursued a career in nursing education and wrote an article for the Journal of Nursing Education titled “Cooperative Learning: A Means to Promote Metacognitive and Collaborative Skills in Heterogeneous Nursing Students.” He is remembered for this contribution.

He enjoyed activities such as camping, biking, golfing, sailing, wind surfing, rafting, swimming in the five Great Lakes, gardening, and music, and he went to more than 50 performances by the Grateful Dead. Additionally, he was an active member of the Maumee band parents’ association, where he served as the co-chair of the Music in Motion competition for a number of years.

Mark and his family and friends worked together over the course of thirteen years to construct an off-grid home in a remote and wooded area of the upper peninsula of Michigan. This house was intended to serve as Mark’s permanent residence after he retired. He looked back on this time in his life with fondness and expressed his appreciation to the people of Rudyard, Michigan, for their kindness and support, both of which were essential to the venture’s success.

The cancer diagnosis put an end to his dream. The arrival of his two granddaughters, Scarlet Francesca and Annabelle Grace, as well as watching his son Isaac and his wife Lydia construct a household that is full of love and joy and in which the girls are thriving, provided him with the greatest joy of his life.

His favorite thing to do on a weekly basis was spend time with Susan, her brother Conn Dandareau, and his wife Carol, as well as Scarlet and Annabelle. The family will honor his life with a series of intimate get-togethers over the next few days.