Joyce Ann Zazzi

Joyce Ann Zazzi was the first and only child of Clara and Cesar Leite in Massachusetts during the Great Depression. She graced the world as a beloved wife, heroic single mother, wonderful grandmother, Catholic godmother, treasured friend, and other blessed roles. With Rachel, one of her beloved granddaughters at her side, “Grammy” peacefully moved to the Kingdom of Heaven on  Monday, September 23, 2024, after 85.4 consequential years. With humble thanks to our LORD, our dear sweet mother’s life was filled with faith, hope, love, smiles, pain, suffering, sorrow, tears, redemption, and miracles: large and small. Broken and  impoverished by our spectacularly failed father in the 1970’s, our beautiful mother had to often set aside her heartbreak and devastation to serve as the HEROIC SINGLE MOTHER that she had to be for her three sons: Michael, Timothy, and Randy.

 Among the many loving things, we felt about her during those hard years in Sacramento, we felt that the sun rise and set on her as it lit her tough yet glorious Way of the Cross and illuminated her simple, humble greatness. There are lessons and inspiration to be learned from her struggles long ago, including the imperative of working three jobs to support her young family. Humble to a fault, she never gave herself much credit, and that’s where her devoted sons and beloved second husband Donald Zazzi (“Papa”) lovingly filled in. Having received the Holy Sacrament of the Sick in August and finally “Last Rites” in September, her labored yet righteous breaths faithfully advanced her along “the narrow path” and aided her saintly passing through “the narrow gate” of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen, our beloved mother “fought the good fight of faith. (She) took hold of the eternal life to which (she was) called” (1 Timothy 6:12). So, with the tender tears of loving sons who miss their beloved mother’s life-giving presence on earth, we thank the LORD that she was and will always be our mom. Moreover, we thank the LORD that our beautiful mom has been reunited with her first-born son Michael who moved to Heaven in 1981. 

Saint Joyce of Sacramento, please always pray for Papa, your sons (Timothy and Randy), your daughters-in-law (Mary Frances and Sandra), your step-daughter (Karen), your grandkids (Alicia, Rachel & Phil, Eben, and Kevin), your nephews and nieces (Gus Jr., Amanda, Anthony, Scooter, et al), and all the good souls that touched your wonderful life in ways that blessed your good soul and pleased our Lord Jesus Christ. 

With great love for our extraordinary mother, Timothy Jeffries and Randy Jeffries

Visitation will be held on Friday, October 18, 2024 from 4pm - 7pm with rosary said at 5pm at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 11am at St Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, 10755 N 124th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85259. Joyce's final resting will take place in California.