Michael Francis Zurlo Sr.

Michael Francis Zurlo Sr., went peacefully to his final rest on Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the age of 83, surrounded by family. He was born in Montclair, NJ on May 1, 1940 to Vincenzo and Elisa Zurlo. He was a loving brother to Phyllis (William) Karczewski and Peter (Gloria) Zurlo. He was predeceased by his brother Vincent Zurlo, who is survived by his wife Janice.
Michael dedicated his life to serving the Bloomfield community with 30 years in the Bloomfield Fire Department (retired as a Captain) and over 40 years in Scouting (Troop 28). He was passionate about gardening and growing food, hunting, photography, traveling and spending time outdoors. He was extremely handy and rarely met anything he couldn't fix; often zipping around town in his red Jeep and ball cap as he got things handled.
He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Joanna V. Zurlo, and his children Ann (Paul) Willey, Michael (Ellen) Zurlo Jr., Christina (John) Zurlo-Havey, Jeffrey (Trudy Lutz) Zurlo, Dominick (Frank Dominguez) Zurlo, Steven (Tara) Zurlo and Joanna L. Zurlo. He was predeceased by his beloved daughter, Mary Rafanelli who is survived by her husband, Gerry Rafanelli.
He is survived by his grandchildren: Paul (Sonya Shafer-Willey) Willey Jr., Amanda (Cody) Matoushek, Lucia (Gregory Stein) Rafanelli, Alton (Jordy) Zurlo-Havey, Dawn Zurlo-Havey, Jessica Zurlo, Michael Zurlo III, Isabella Zurlo and Alexander Zurlo. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren: Elijah Willey, Vincent Willey, Grace Zurlo-Havey, Arya Matoushek, AJ Zurlo-Havey and Gabriel Zurlo-Havey. He leaves behind many loving nieces and nephews, a large extended family and cherished friends.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation at the O'Boyle Funeral Home, 309 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, on Friday, March 8th from 4:00pm-8:00pm. The Funeral Mass will be offered at Sacred Heart Church, 76 Broad Street Bloomfield, NJ, on Saturday, March 9th at 10:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, Michael has requested that donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center and/or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.