Here are some of the quotes that we've received from the folks that have known John:
"He was truly one of the great ones." -Chris Chuck
"He was a true friend, a fantastic colleague and I will miss him terribly." -Kurt Eckert
"He was one of my best friends whom I shared many laughters and triumphs with. I am saddened by what happened." -Catherine Liao
"Words can't describe what a incredibly genuine person John was." -Dean Klinger
"His great attitude, honesty, knowledge, and generosity with his time made him a great co-worker and friend" -Bruce Piburn
"I'll never forget his great sense of humor and positive approach to life." -Scott Mohr
"He was so smart, smooth, and fast on his toes that he set a high bar for me and the rest of the team to aspire to." -John Gammon
"He will be always missed and I will carry him in my heart forever. My heart and my love, always and forever" -Paula
Maya Angelou has said "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." For me those are fitting words because John always made us feel great, and we're going to miss him greatly. -Tom Sutliff
The John Z We Remember
John as his usual self, the picture was taken in September 2007 at Consuelo's in San Jose.
Remembering John
- About John (8)
- From John's Family (8)
- More Memories (8)
Latest Message from Those Loved John
Memorial For John
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to the Animal Anti-Cruelty Society, 157 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60610 or online at http://www.anticruelty.org/.
The Tragic News Report
The accident has been reported on a local newspaper. You can view the article here.
Share Your Thoughts
I'm sure this news will affect all of us in different ways, however big or small. Let's use this forum to share your thoughts, etc. You may leave your note in the "Comments" section or email us at teamzacca@gmail.com
29 comments:
While this is still a complete shock I can’t help but think of the times that John would help me out when I was in a jam or had a stupid question. He always did it happily and was a pleasure to work with. His great attitude, honesty, knowledge, and generosity with his time made him a great co-worker and friend. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
Bruce Piburn
John was a great human being and will be sadly missed. He touched so many lives in a positive way-
I'll never forget his great sense of humor and positive approach to life.
We'll miss you John-
Scott
"I don't know anything about it".
Those were John's last words to me, typed into his instant message at 9:06am
this morning. A few hours later later he got into his car, never to return.
My IM window was still open when I heard the news.
Strange last words from a guy who knew a lot about a lot of things.
Fast cars, good wine, baseball, pets, technology and humor... Things we both
enjoyed and discussed often.
I've only come to know John in the past 12 months but we developed a
friendship that I truly enjoyed.
John was always just a "great guy". It sounds cliché but when you think
about it how many truly "great guys" do you really come to know?
Always there for a talk, offer to help a joke to lighten the mood then
things were just plain rotten.
None as rotten as the call I got today.
I'll miss you my friend.
Rest in peace.
Aaron
Words can't describe what a incredibly genuine person John was. After spending much time with him riding shotgun to Wisconsin and all throughout Illinois, I can tell you this is a true loss to the Cisco family, and more importantly, the Zaccagnini family.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to John and all that loved him....
God bless.
Dean Klinger
John will be sorely missed. I had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for several years. He was a wonderful talent when it came to business and technology. He was truly one of the great ones. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time.
Chris Chuck
John was the first person at Cisco to welcome me to the team. The first time I met him in person was in Detroit in June and he had Tigers tickets for everyone. I was lucky enough to sit next to John and was amazed to hear about the farmstead that he built with his wife and the balance he was able to achieve between city/technology and a great life in the country. I'm so sorry to hear this terrible news.
Scott Glover
It is tragic when someone so full of life and vigor dies at such a young age. To me John wasn't just a good SE, he was a role model. My wife often calls me a computer genius, and I tell her that it is all relative in this business. I told her there are people like John Zaccagnini who make me feel like a dummy. He was so smart, smooth, and fast on his toes that he set a high bar for me and the rest of the team to aspire to.
Back in 2005, right after FineGround was acquired, I spent the day with John riding through the hills in a Porsche. He was an amazing driver, and I could tell that he was someone that just enjoyed life. Yes he scared the living daylights out of me as we screeched around turns, often on 2 wheels. He was a great listener as I rambled on about my career and hobbies. We were both big fans of Joss Whedon, and after that he mailed me a hard drive and I loaded it up with episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I will always remember John as the absolute best in the industry. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
John Gammon
I only knew John a few days. I met him in our SMS class the week after Thanksgiving in RTP.
But in that short time, he was kind enough to give me a ride to class one morning. Then just yesterday, I ask him for some help and he responded immediately.
I am still in total shock from hearing this news.
As you can tell, he was a very real and genuine person, even to persons he barely knew.
Take a moment to hug your kids and family and recognize the important things in life.
In the short time I knew John, it seems he would have wanted it that way.
Rick Dahl
I first got to know John few months back, when he first interviewed me. He was such a gentleman. I then had the opportunity to meet him after I joined the Cisco’s ANS team. What a wonderful guy. Always outgoing. When I heard the news I could not believe it. He is truly going to be missed. Our sympathies and prayers goes out to the Zaccagnini and Cisco family.
Simon Bhagat
I was shocked when I learned of John’s passing.
I first met John when the Fineground acquisition closed and he was then part of the ANS Team. I have had the pleasure of being a direct co-worker of John’s for the last six months since joining that team. He was a great collaborator, truly unselfish, and someone, had there been more time, I would call Friend.
It’s hard to believe that when I dropped John at the United Terminal at RTP on 12/7 that it would be the last time we would speak face to face. I can tell you there was genuine warmth in the “have a good flight, talk soon” exchange.
John and his family are certainly in my thoughts during this difficult time.
Bill Dufresne
It's a "HUGE SHOCK AND TRAGEDY!!!" and I'm still in shock!! I had the pleasure to work with John for a short time and he was always glad to help, and you can see he was a genuine "good person"!! I saw him last in Ohio around Thanksgiving and he is the type of man that you feel like you've known all your life, and with a smile on his face and joking!! I am happy to have had the honor to work with him and known him, and he will always be remembered! He will be greatly missed, as he was admired....please let us know where we can pay respects to him and his family, as well as any way to help the family!
Marcello
Like everyone else, I am feeling the shock and sadness of losing John so very early in his life. I will try to honor his memory by living each day with a little more passion and more focus on those I love.
Jim Lespasio
I've lost my Cisco confidant. He had humbling savvy.
John helped get me hired at Cisco, dispensed spot-on advice (including "yeah, if you ever do get Telepresence in your house, you better remove that Malibu Stacy collection in the backdrop...") and helped me out of a lot of tight spots. I am a better professional because of him.
I'm still mortified.
I am extremely saddened to hear about John. I had the pleasure of meeting John a number of times and it always a pleasure to work with him. We got together after work and I remember him telling me stories of his horses, many of which I have shared with my friends over the years. John had a way of making you feel like you had known him forever. He will be truly missed.
My condolences go out to his family.
Regards,
Sergio
I just got the email about John's death from Harsha. I'm so sad about this tragedy, and feel so horrible for John's family.
Happy & laid back by nature, John was effortlessly easy to get along
with. He knew how to do his job, did it well, and made it look as easy as spreading butter. I only worked with him for a short while at FineGround, but everyone loved him. I can remember hearing about his home, and I thought what a wonderful life he must have. A friend of ours (a Marine) was killed in May while fighting in Fallujah. While we still cry and feel sad about the loss of such a great man, the Lion of Fallujah. I read an article that I still remember. It said something like- Even though it never gets easier, and even though you will always miss him and be sad, you must remember that the love you shared, the love you had still lives on...
You were a wonderful person John. You will be missed, and the love
your friends & family have for you will live on forever.
With my deepest condolences,
Deborah Faitt-Esker
I first got to know John few months back, when he first interviewed me. He was such a gentleman. I then had the opportunity to meet him after I joined the Cisco’s ANS team. What a wonderful guy. Always outgoing. When I heard the news I could not believe it. He is truly going to be missed. Our sympathies and prayers goes out to the Zaccagnini and Cisco family.
With our condolences,
Simon Bhagat
He was one of the earliest S.Es at FineGround Networks. I always called him JohnZ or zacca. So when I heard the news, it was such a shock.
Rest In peace JohnZ,
=harsha
John was such a terrific person – really smart, really funny and always helpful! I knew him for a short while year but he left a great impression! His death at such an early age is a terrible loss – and my sincere condolences and prayers to his family! Rest in Peace!
- Sharada
The first time I met John, he and Marty Pollito were wandering around the Chicago office looking for expense report envelopes. I had flown into Chicago for training.
They had just joined us via the Fineground acquisition and I remember John joking, that getting paid was the most important thing on his mind that moment :) I also remember thinking at that moment that this was a really special guy and first instincts are usually right!
We had many subsequent conversations and he did a wonderful job of always lighting up a conversation with his presence and warmth. His family was truly blessed to have such a wonderful man and my heart goes out to all of them during these tough times.
The memories of his warmth, radiance, quick wit, and genuine smile will be with us all indefinitely!
Maya Angelou has said "I've learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how
you made them feel." For me those are fitting words because John always
made us feel great, and we're going to miss him greatly.
Tom Sutliff
This is such a terrible tragedy.
John was a great man and he will be missed.
The suddenness of his loss has left me speechless.
I am so sorry.
John Z infected people. He never just did a job, he gave of himself in every case. For those in positions like John had at Cisco, they know what it really means to be spread thin, to be stretched. John never made anyone feel like they were imposing or wasting his time. He gave because he cared. We were honored to have known John - we were blessed to have worked with him. I wish I had taken the opportunity to have known John better than I did - I only see now the opportunities missed. I knew John was special and that I really valued the many times I had to work with him. As Tom Sutliff said we will never forget the way John made us feel. May each of us take the time to let the great people we work and live with know how special they are.
Mike Kennedy
It has taken me since Friday at 7:00pm when I received the call from a co-worker to put this together. I am still in shock and cannot believe this has happened; I feel that I am living in a dream. John and I were just in Wisconsin hanging out for 2-days, we talked about work, cars, sports, family, his wife, horse racing, etc. John and I sametimed a lot to help each other out and just catch-up; I keep looking for John to come online...
John was a great person, co-worker and friend - thank you for being an awesome friend John - I will miss you.
God Bless!!
My deepest condolences,
David Jansen
My sincerest regards go out to John’s family and friends. I met John in 2005 at FineGround Networks. Although we worked together for only a short time I will remember his great smile and his passion for everything that he did in life. John was a great person and will truly be missed!
Warm regards,
Kathleen Murray
Although I only met John a few times, he always had a kind word and a smile to offer. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. The thoughts and prayers of my family reaches out to the Zaccagnini family.
Jeffrey Begnaud
I will miss you.
You had a passion for life and technology.
Nothing was to big for John Z. to tackle.
I will cherish the times and experiences.
John Z. the great one!
Roger
I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with John at FineGround and at Cisco. He was the gold standard for professionalism and always a kind and generous friend. We worked together on selling and deploying software solutions for the world’s largest companies. As we made the first sales call, John would tell me that it was the start of a long journey. John’s journey with us has ended but his spirit and his memory will live on in all of us. We have all been touched and enriched from knowing John Z.
Dixie Baker
Its almost been a week since John left us and I have thought about him a lot. I am very sad but I have so many great memories. He still makes me
smile.
Jim Aschliman
I did not know John, but im sure he was an amazing man. Heather always had something to say about him in class in one of our off topic class conversations. The last thing I heard Heather say was how mad John was because he got his porche stuck in the snow. He decided to take the summer car instead of the winter buick. My thoughts and prayers go out to Heather and Johns family. God bless
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