RICHARD RZASA

RZASA--Richard John,

age 55, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, died on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville. Rich was born in Brooklyn, NY on February 25, 1960, the son of Agnes and John Rzasa. Throughout his teenage and college years, he worked on the weekends with his father in the family's construction/roofing business. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, NY and graduated with a BS and MBA from NYU (Stern School of Business), where he also was a member of the Dean's Advisory Panel. His dream was to work on Wall Street, which he did successfully for 30 years. He worked for Lehman Brothers from 1985 to 1999, where he rose through the ranks from programmer/analyst to Senior Vice President reporting to the CIO. His crowning moment was when he left Lehman to become the CIO at TD Waterhouse in September 1999, a position he held until they merged with Ameritrade in 2006. Rich enjoyed a lifetime of music, starting with guitar sessions at the age of six. His interest evolved from playing in a band at a very young age to later entertaining his friends at the KMS golf charity outings. Another passion was playing golf which took him to courses in Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Mexico as well a few across the U.S. After many years in IT, he and his wife retired in 2012 to Florida from Jersey City, NJ to enjoy the warmth and play some golf. His friendship with Bob and Chris Hurley and his admiration of their work at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City inspired him to become involved in the school's scholarship fund for students. He worked hard and enjoyed life to its fullest with his wife, family and friends. He was a generous loyal friend to many who knew him as 'Raz', he will be terribly missed. He is survived by his wife, Sybil, of 22 years; sister, Joanne (John); brother, Robert, and his children, Elizabeth and Christopher; mother-in-law, Moy Kwei Fong; brother-in- law, John (Nora); brother-in- law, Teddy (Lucy); brother- in-law Stephen (Jackie); brother-in-law Donald; nieces, Lara, Alicia, Samantha; nephews, Sean and Michael. His family would like to thank the staff at the Mayo Clinic for his care during his last days. Contributions can be made in Rich's name to St. Anthony High School, Mayo Clinic or to a charity of your choice. A private celebration of life service will be held in the near future.