Michael Francis Viafora

1956 - 2019

VIAFORA
Michael Francis Viafora III, 62, of Jacksonville, FL, died Thursday, January 24, 2019, following a brief illness.
A memorial service will be held at 5 PM on Saturday, March 2, 2019, at the site of the Riverside Arts Market (RAM) at 715 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL, 32204.
Born August 9, 1956, in Amityville, NY, he was the son of the late Michael F. Viafora, Jr. and Carolyn M. Viafora. He grew up in Stony Brook, NY, on Long Island, where he and his friends spent countless hours playing outdoors and sailing on the Long Island Sound. He ran cross country at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, NY, and graduated in 1974. During this time, he was a member of a Presbyterian youth group that traveled by bus to Appalachia to build houses for families in need.
In 1978, he graduated from Jacksonville University with a Bachelors of Art Education and began his career as an elementary school art teacher. He taught for thirty-five years with the Duval County Public School System, working at fifteen different schools over the course of his career due to frequent budget cuts to the arts. Most recently, he taught at Don Brewer Elementary and J. Allen Axson Elementary. His longest tenure was at Southside Estates Elementary, where he was also Co-director of the before and after school Extended Day Program for approximately fifteen years. During his time at Southside Estates, he was proud to receive "Teacher of the Year" from his peers. One of his favorite things about Extended Day was identifying which children went with which cars as their parents drove up, so that he could save them time in the pickup line at the end of the day. He worked long hours preparing student artwork to be entered into competitions and assisting students who planned to audition for the middle school arts magnet program with their art portfolios. He also loved mentoring new teachers, especially fellow resource teachers, who taught art, music, physical education, and library. He helped out wherever needed with backdrops and banners for school plays, decorating the school hallways, and participating in the Empty Bowls Luncheon, an annual fundraising event for Feeding Northeast Florida. In 2007, he won the annual bookmark contest in the adult division for his own artwork at the Jacksonville Public Library System with the theme "Start Here, Go Anywhere!" One of his works, enlarged to billboard-size, was selected for the annual international juried competition entitled "Embracing Our Differences" held in Sarasota, FL in 2011. He was an avid tennis player and taught tennis lessons on Saturdays for eleven years for Community Education - Duval County Public Schools. He also ran many Jacksonville River Run races, now known as the Gate River Run, including the inaugural event in 1978.
Since his retirement from teaching 5 ½ years ago, he was able to combine his two passions – art and cars – into a hobby drawing and painting cars, trucks, and motorcycles in either acrylic on canvas or watercolor on paper. His first honor for his own artwork in retirement was being selected to be the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens "Artist in the Store" in the spring and summer of 2013 in conjunction with the "Future Retro: The Great Age of the American Automobile" exhibit. More recently, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, his artwork was displayed at UF Health Jacksonville as a part of the annual National Arts Program Foundation exhibition, winning a prize in the adult professional category in 2016 and honorable mention in 2017.
He enjoyed taking his 1980 cherry red Chevrolet Camaro, the first new car that he ever owned, to car shows and talking to other car enthusiasts about cars. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of differences between model years for many types of vehicles, which was evident in his detailed artwork. For much of his retirement he participated in art festivals, such as First Wednesday Downtown Art Walk, Second Tuesday Jacksonville Beach Art Walk, and RAM on Saturdays. There again he enjoyed mentoring other artists and lending them supplies like easels, weights for their tents, extension cords, and zip ties. He was also happy to contribute his work for philanthropic causes, donating pieces for fundraisers benefiting I Still Matter Project Cold Case and JAXImpact. His artwork has also been displayed at One Spark, FSCJ Kent Campus, Unity Plaza, Pura Bean Coffee Company at both the Beach Boulevard and King Street locations, Top Dollar Car, and at the Burrito Gallery on Riverside Avenue, where he was the sole artist in the restaurant gallery for about six months, where some of his work is still on display.
Survivors include his mother, Carolyn M. Viafora, of Nocatee; his wife of thirty years, Nancy Eaton Viafora, of Jacksonville, formerly of Moultrie, GA; two daughters, Amber Viafora Judd (Kris) of Jersey City, NJ, and Laura C. Viafora-Ray (Noah) of Jacksonville; granddaughter, Avery I. Judd of Jersey City, NJ; sister, Althea I. Viafora-Kress of New York City; uncle, John A. Yeary of Rockwell, TX; sister-in-law, Patsy J. Eaton of Jacksonville; niece, Jennifer T. Miller (Timothy) of Jacksonville; great-niece, Violet J. Miller of Jacksonville; great-nephew, Timothy G. Miller III of Jacksonville; and several special cousins and friends. He was always caring, loyal, and protective of his family and friends, showing his love in simple ways, such as checking the air pressure in their car tires or checking to see if they needed an oil change. Known for his big heart, he would do anything that he could do to ensure the safety and security of his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice & Palliative Care at 4266 Sunbeam Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32257.

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