Happy Birthday John!

John's family went to the Cub's game to celebrate his birthday. He would've been 38 this year. Here's a message from John Sr:

Just a quick up date on how John's Birthday at Cubs Park turned out. It was tough inside our hearts for all of us but as John would have wanted we all had fun laughing and cheering and bringing those Cubs in with a victory. We met at the new Ernie Banks statue which is only a few feet from the brick with John's name on it. John would have loved these seats as we were so close to the catcher we all helped the umpire call the balls and strikes ( in our favor of course) We raised our cups and glasses many times in memory of John. Strange things are happening at Wrigley this year and if John is on the job to help get them to the World Series then we better order the tickets now... There are many many fathers that are proud of their sons but I know one thing for sure that there is not one father prouder of their son than I am of mine!

Here's the picture of John's brick:

Photo Gallery

John's family has set up a photo gallery containing pictures taken over the years. You can view the gallery here. Here are a few of my favorite pictures.




Again, you can access the entire photo gallery by clicking here.

These are a few of John's favorite things

John and his wife Heather

One fact of life for those of us that are SEs is travel, lots and lots of travel. I have never met John’s wife Heather but I know how much John loved her. It takes a special woman to put up with the life of an SE. We never know when we are going to have to leave and often our trips home are delayed. It is hard to plan anything and it seems like work is all we do. John was very lucky to have a partner that he could count on and he knew that.

When we were on the road and it was time for Heather to get home from work, everything stopped so that he could call home and talk to her and share what was going on in his life. Marriage is not always easy and sometimes those calls were not easy. Just as my wife is left home to deal with all the troubles of the home Heather had a lot on her hands. She dealt with all that came her way and I know John loved and appreciated her for that.

To say that John loved Porsches is a bit of an understatement. He often talked about his 1988 911 and how he missed the car. After many years of driving his Acura, John was recently able to buy a yellow Boxter S. He loved that car and often showed me pictures from autocrosses. When winter came and he had to get into the Buick it was like parting with a child.

While he loved his Boxter what John really wanted was a 911 GT3. John showed me a watch that he wanted to get once just because it was the cheapest thing you could buy that was the same color as the GT3.

John and I would argue the BMW vs. Porsche war for hours. I wish that John could be around for the trouncing that Porsche is going to receive from the new M3…

The life of a Cubs fan is not an easy one but John stayed tough. John and I were in San Jose for some meetings this fall during the playoffs. His Cubs were trying to clinch the pennant and my Red Sox were trying to hold off the Yankees. John and I found a conference room with a projector and, using his laptop and his MLB TV subscription we turned the room into the baseball spot with a 12 foot screen.

Whenever we had downtime from meetings we would head in and catch whatever game was on. John’s passion for the Cubs was contagious and I found myself adopting the Cubs as a second team to root for.

Kurt

John in Action

These screen shots were taken from the Cisco IP TV broadcast that took place on December 7. He was his usual animated self sharing with us some of his magic.

Some of John's favorite quotes

The Simpsons

Frink: (drawing on a blackboard) Here is an ordinary square.
Wiggum: Whoa, whoa—slow down, egghead!

Homer: All this fresh air is making my hair move and I don't know how long I can complain

Work

We are all just rearranging deck chairs on the titanic

We keep bringing a knife to a gunfight and somehow we still manage to shoot ourselves in the foot

We don't need no stinking products, we sell ideas, or better yet ideals...less overhead, better margins.

More fun than a person should be allowed to have

fun... fun... fun...

John was...

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

Obituary

John A. Zaccagnini Jr., 37, Harvard, died Friday, Dec. 14, 2007, from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.

He was born May 29, 1970, in Chicago, to John A. and Linda (Cullen) Zaccagnini Sr. He married Heather Whinery Oct. 7, 1995, in West Lafayette, Ind.

He was a senior systems engineer for Cisco Systems, which is based in San Jose, Calif., with offices in Chicago. He graduated from Purdue University in 1992 with a degree in computer-electrical engineering.

He was a lifelong Cubs fan and was given the opportunity to play at Wrigley Field in high school. Also during high school, he played tennis and was on the fencing team. He placed second in the Illinois state high school fencing competition.

Along with his wife, he was involved in pet rescue and gave homes to many rescued pets. He was a member of the Porsche Club of America and loved autocross racing.
Most of all, he was a devoted husband, son and brother, and he will be missed by all who knew him.

Survivors include his wife, Heather, Harvard; his father, John A. Zaccagnini Sr., Schaumburg; his mother, Linda Cullen, Algonquin; his paternal grandmother, Theresa Zaccagnini; his maternal grandmother, Vera Cullen; a sister, Paula (Brian) Steffan; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Larry and Nancy Whinery; a niece and godchild, Sofia Steffan; a godchild, Colleen Lynch; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Zaccagnini; his maternal grandfather, Raymond Cullen; and an aunt, Judy Guskey.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19, at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, Woodstock. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, at the Church of Holy Apostles, 5211 W. Bull Valley Road, McHenry.
Burial will be private.

Memorials can be made in his name to The Anti-Cruelty Society, 157 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60610.

Online condolences can be sent to johnzaccagnini.blogspot.com.

It is with great sadness...

That we report the death of one of our best friends, John Zaccagnini who died in an auto accident today in Illinois. John was a great friend and he impacted many of our lives in such a positive way, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. We started this blog as a way to reach out to a broader community to collect and share memories of him. Please email us at teamzacca@gmail.com if you'd like to enlist as a contributor to this blog.

We know you’ll keep John, his wife Heather and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this sad time.

-Team Zacca @ Cisco

ps- Please feel free to use the comments function as you like. You can also post links to photos, and anything else you wish.