Matthew A. Zagami

Matthew Anthony Zagami, 81, truest love and devoted husband to the late Maureen Twist Zagami, peacefully entered eternal life on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, surrounded by family, after proclaiming that he was "going to be with Mom." Born on April 30, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York, he was the beloved son of the late Anthony and Grace Zagami, and was brought up in Garden City, New York. Matthew met Maureen on his first day at St. John's University, where he received an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy before going on to earn his Masters there in Hospital Administration. After marrying the love of his life, he moved to Lake Grove, Long Island for more than 40 years where he raised his other three loves, his daughters Michelle, Nancy, and Patty. When his girls were young, he held three jobs as a pharmacist to make ends meet, and the highlight of every Friday night was staying up past their bedtime to see Daddy come home. He was eventually promoted to Director of Materials Management and then Vice President of Southside Hospital in Bayshore, New York. After retiring, he and Maureen moved to Farmington, Connecticut in 2013 to be closer to family.
Matty to his friends, Poppy to his grandchildren, he was many things to many people: thoughtful neighbor and friend, dedicated volunteer, swim parent, cook, organizer, fixer, solver, jerryrigger, camper, traveler, hiker, lover of nature and National Parks, pool-party planner, gin and tonic connoisseur, perpetual blood donor, card and domino player, eternally-devoted husband and father, brother, son, nephew, uncle, and cousin, but nothing was more special to him than being "Poppy," spending time with family and most importantly grandchildren (and granddogs), and enjoying their sports, plays, concerts, and achievements. Italian through and through, he spent endless hours cooking thousands of fried chicken cutlets among many other delicious Italian dishes, catering to allergies and preferences, and always making enough extra to bring to neighbors and friends. For him, food was love, and if he ever cooked for you, he most definitely loved you. He was wise, loving, honest, kind, generous, reliable, strong, compassionate, and will forever be respected and revered.
His kindhearted spirit is carried on by three devoted daughters, Dr. Michelle Zagami Seeley and her husband Dr. Brook Seeley of Avon, Nancy Zagami Hunt and her husband Don Hunt of West Hartford, and Patricia Zagami Oberdiek and her husband John Oberdiek of Merion Station, PA; 11 grandchildren who adored their Poppy-Connor, Liam, Kellen, and Finn Seeley, Devon, Bridget, Tristan, and Kieran Hunt, and Sophie, Lucas, and Greta Oberdiek; his unconditional best friends of many decades Mary Jane Nolan and Michael Nolan, his friends at Edgewood Estates, and many wonderful in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends and family too numerous to list. He was predeceased by his twin sisters, Jeanette Liotta and Francis Coletta.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 11:00AM, at Saint Mary's Star of the Sea Church, Main Street, Unionville, CT. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Avon, CT. For directions or condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to one of Matty's favorite places, the National Park Service, through their foundation at https://www.nationalparks.org/.