John A. Mattera

John Mattera, 68, most recently of Chapel Hill, passed away on April 8, 2022 after a battle with cancer. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Tony and Rose (Santoro) Mattera. John attended the Valley Stream schools and graduated from Central High School in 1970. He went on to attend Goddard College and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1975 and years later earned a Master of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder. John was an English teacher for many years in Vermont and enjoyed directing and producing plays with the drama club. He was a writer and published over two dozen plays and short stories. His most well-known adaptation of Dracula continues to be widely produced in the United States and Canada. His other popular stage productions include You Don't Have to Die, I am Legend, and Time After Time. John won the Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Contest with his adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic The Picture of Dorian Gray. He spent much of the last three decades as a principal, most recently at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School. John had the utmost respect for his sister Marlene and his brother-in-law Tom who had taught him the meaning of giving and kindness. John leaves behind his, son Marshall Mattera; daughter Abby (Sean) Bleything; son Tatiana Mattera; daughter Natasha Mattera; grandchildren Cai and Atticus Bleything; sister Marlene (Tom) Fitzsimmons; and brother Ronnie (Regina) Mattera. A private memorial service will take place on July 16, 2022. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the YoungWritersProject.org.