Tonya Pezzutti

Tonya M. Pezzutti was born on July 28, 1942, in New Jersey to Steven Semchessen Sr. and Mary Semchessen. She passed away peacefully on March 14, 2026. She was raised in Highlands and later lived in Middletown before she and her husband built a life and a home together in Genesee, Colorado, in 1991.
She met and married her husband, David A. Pezzutti, in Middletown, New Jersey, and together they built a life rooted in partnership, adventure, and love for nearly four decades. They traveled the world, exploring China, India, Turkey, and across Europe, and embraced the outdoors together, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, completing multi-day bike rides, and even summiting many of Colorado’s 14ers.
Tonya built an accomplished career as a program manager in telecommunications with US WEST and AT&T. While at AT&T, she helped deploy a computing system that dramatically increased the speed of solving complex problems for the U.S. military and was selected to represent AT&T in accepting a Smithsonian award for this groundbreaking work. She earned two master’s degrees—an MBA and a Master’s in Telecommunications, reflecting her intelligence, drive, and determination.
Beyond her accomplishments, Tonya was fierce, outspoken, and strong, with a wicked sense of humor and a presence people didn’t forget. She had an elegant sense of style; she always wore exactly the right thing.
Tonya’s passion was helping others. She participated in multi-day fundraising cycling events supporting the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Red Cross, and Muscular Dystrophy Association. Building on her success with these events, she was selected to help organize and promote the first statewide American Heart Association cycling event in New Jersey.
Tonya was an incredible gourmet cook and loved to entertain, bringing people together around her table. She achieved so much in her life, and at the heart of it all was the love she gave as a mother and grandmother. Known as “Bunny” to her grandchildren, she was deeply devoted to them and found her greatest joy in being part of their lives.
She is survived by her devoted husband, David A. Pezzutti; their daughter, Melissa Wood and her husband Les Wood of Denver, Colorado, and their children Evan, Hayden, and Avery Wood; and their son, David J. Pezzutti and his wife Deborah Pezzutti of Orlando, Florida, and their children Abraham, Aidan, and Addison Pezzutti.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Steven Semchessen Jr.
She will also be missed by her beloved German Shepherd dog, Zoe.
A celebration of life will be planned and shared with family and friends at a later date.
Tonya often said, “Reach for the stars,” and she lived that way—strong, adventurous, and fully herself. We will carry that with us every day.