I know that each one of us probably have many memorable moments that we've spent with John. I'd like to ask you to share with us the _one_ favorite memory you have of him. You can either click on "comments" to leave your memory or email us at teamzacca@gmail.com and we'll get it posted.
9 comments:
Over the many years I've known John, there are many great memories. One of the things that sticks out most in my mind was his ability to teach and explain technology and concepts. I've learned more from John writing on the back of a napkin at dinner than in a week of classroom training. John was quick to help when he could. When I told John that my son had earned the moniker "Slow-ito" at a LAN party because of the speed of his computer, John would have none of that. I brought my two oldest sons over to John's house and he taught them how to build thier own computer and helped them put it together (and it was fast!). No more slow computers and no more "Slow-ito". I can't tell you how many systems the kids have built since then.
I could go on with the good things John has done but it would take days and be the size of "War and Peace" when it was done. I'll just leave it with a bit of advice that John gave me in dealing with work related "situations". His advice, which has served me well is, was "not to poke a bear with a short stick". Very good advice indeed.
Marty Polito
I saw the news last night but was too numb to respond. Being in Chicago, I had the pleasure of working with John with his infectious smile and "never say no" attitude. What a special person!
This past August we were blessed with a experience that I cherish. Tom Koppelman was holding a regional meeting at Lake Delevan, WI. When considering options of where to go for a team dinner, John immediately volunteered his house. We had such a wonderful evening as John proudly showed us his horses, dogs, and cats along with being master chef at the grill. John was so happy in his home environment and we had the pleasure of seeing this side of the multifaceted John.
To say that he will be missed is an understatement. In his short life, John made a true difference to this world. Just imagine what would have been if not for yesterday.....
My sympathies go to the Zaccagnini and Cisco families who loved and were touched by John.
Lou
I have known John since our days together at CacheFlow when we shared an office with no windows the size of a closet. We shared a love for fast german cars and the struggles at a start-up. He was always the voice of reason and never lost his sense of humor.
I will miss him and our conversations about how far we had both come and what had never really changed.
John was one of the good guys and he cannot be replaced.
I just wanted to share my favorite memory of John...
I remember teasing John awhile back about his Cisco directory picture since it was just awful and looked like a police mug shot. Turns out John just had a new picture taken by a professional photographer who was in the Cisco Chicago office a week earlier but John was undecided in updating his Cisco directory picture.
John personally didn't care how he looked and he didn't want people to think he was vain for replacing his old picture with a professional one. He finally agreed to update his directory picture if for no other reason than because I had asked him to.
I'll always remembered John for that simple act since it just shows you how he put others before himself.
As you can see from the photo, John's easy smile and friendliness just come shining through.
John will be missed but he won't be forgotten.
Thanks,
Bill Leung
I first met John upon attending my first Fineground Sales Kickoff meeting in January of 2005. After only getting to know him for a very short period of time at that event, I felt like I had known him for many years. John was one of those people that you immediately connect with and people like that are few and far between.
He was intelligent, straightforward, laid-back, funny, helpful and caring - all at the same time. He was someone you felt you could always count on. He was genuine about it all too.
John always greeted me (and everyone else I am sure) with a huge smile, a great big handshake and a very sincere "How are you doing?"
And that is how I will remember John. My condolences go out to his entire family and everyone else he touched in his life. He will be sorely missed.
-Rich Link
John and I met in 1999 when I was hired at CacheFlow to be the Regional Sales Manager for the Midwest. CacheFlow now Bluecoat was an exciting new start up “that was out to change the word of the internet” I can see John’s smile now as we listened to those words from our executive team at a sales meeting in California. I remember our first meeting together we talked for a very long time sharing ideas, thoughts, our back grounds and various components of our personal lives. It was such an easy conversation it just flowed on both sides, we quickly became friends.
John often spoke about his family there was no doubt that he had a strong sense of pride, a strong sense of responsibility and a strong relationship with his family. You could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he spoke of his wife, his mom, his sister and his niece. He met my wife and children many years ago it was a short visit but for years my oldest kept asking about John. She would say, “ daddy are you still friends with that John you work with”? “Daddy are you going to meet with John you work with”? She liked John. She easily befriended John he had that way with people you know. They say young children can tell a kind sole, my daughter was 4 then. It seemed for every person in his family I had something going on in my family that we both could relate to. We just seemed to relate on all sides with each other.
John definitely loved his cars and toys. He picked me up in Milwaukee once in his 911 pulled over and said, “ do you want to drive?” I of course said yes and drove it from one meeting to the other until dropping me back off back at the airport later that day. It was cool and I can remember him smiling looking at me as if he was getting more joy watching me be all excited about driving his 911. The farm was a big thing to him moving from the condo to the country. He was excited about taking that big step with his wife. There were numerous conversation about what tractor to buy, the garage size , the barn size, the underground fiber link from the house to the horse barn…….. for a while there it seemed to consume our conversation
We kept in touch over the years however after CacheFlow we never seemed to be in a position to work together again. We now will have to cross paths in another life.
I will miss John, I am honored to have know such a man.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Tony McILVENNA
Cincinnati, OH
I worked with John's dad and had the honor of meeting Johnny and the rest of his family when he was about 12 years old. I coached him in baseball and used to tell his dad he was too small, but, had the heart of a lion when he played. One memory I have of Johnny was when he was at Purdue and his mom and dad asked if I would do them a favor. They asked me to go to Purdue with my pick-up truck and tow his green Carmen Ghia home, when I got there with his dad I laughed and asked Johnny what he was going to do with it. He told me he was going to fix it up and drive it. When I backed it up their driveway I looked at his mom and dad and told them to put dirt in it and make a planter out of it.
To John, Linda, Paula, and the rest of his family our deepest heartfelt sympathy. Words can never express the sadness that Tammy, our 3 boys, and myself are feeling for you. You can all be very proud of him, he was a great kid.
Joe, Tammy, Joe Jr. Jeff, and, Jason Fabis
I had the pleasure of working with John at FineGround starting back in 2002. My favorite quote from John was: "I had a full head of hair before I started working with this product.". The most striking thing to me about John was how he lived in two entirely different worlds. On the one hand he worked with very arcane technology with some of the largest companies in the world. On the other hand he was a cowboy living on a farm in the country breeding horses. The one thing in common was that whatever he did, he always took it to the next level. He would get a kick out of making our product do things that nobody else ever thought to make it do. I have fond memories of John joining my family for dinner while he was on the road in California. We will miss him.
Steve Poyer
I remember John was the older cousin of Kim, Jeff and Jimmy Harrison, our next door neighbors. Even as a young boy, he was always very polite and frienldy to everyone. He loved to play catch with the boys in the back yard as they grew older. I especially remember when he worked at Jewel during his teen years, he would always greet me and help me to the car with my groceries. He was always kind and respectful to older people, like me.
Angela Cygnar
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