Nicholas Joseph Zauner

Zauner, Nicholas Joseph
Sept. 10, 1927 - June 2, 2009

Nicholas Joseph Zauner, 81, of Venice, formerly of St. James, N.Y., died June 2, 2009.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m and from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Lemon Bay Funeral Home, Venice Chapel. A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Interment will follow in Venice Memorial Gardens.
Survivors include Katherine, his wife of 54 years; sons Thomas J. of Wilton, N.Y., John F. of Newnan, Ga., James of Princeton, N.J., and Peter T. of Boca Raton; a daughter, Mary Beth Faroudi of Venice; 15 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A modest man, Mr. Zauner was a wonderful husband and father, and had a reputation for being a good and faithful friend, always there for anyone who needed him. In his earlier years he served as chairman of the science department for Smithtown High School in New York, where a science scholarship has been established in his name.
He was also a much-loved basketball, baseball, track, and soccer coach and referee in New York. Being an exceptional athlete himself, Nicholas was All City Horseshoe Champion in New York City at the age of 17.
A member of the New York State Teachers' Union, Mr. Zauner received his Bachelor of Science degree from Manhattan College and earned his Master of Science from NYU, where he also served as an instructor.
He retired in 1991, moving to Venice with his wife, Katherine, in 1995. He sang in the church choir in St. James, New York, for 27 years, carrying on the tradition at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Venice for an additional 14 years.
In his spare time, Mr. Zauner enjoyed golfing and membership in the ROMEOs and NOVA.
He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.