Tributes

Written by his son Phil: Dr. Attilio Zaccaria, born on September 14, 1926 in Waterbury, CT entered eternal rest on October 5, 2010 at the age of 84. His parents, Attilio Sr. mother Catarina, his brother Mike, and his sisters, Lucy and her husband Dave Trite and Josey, preceded him in death. Sons, Philip and John, his longtime companion and last love Ina Gustafson, his grandchildren, Adam, Holly, Whitney, Jessica, Kristen and Nicholas, as well as numerous loving friends and relatives, including his brother Mike's wife Avalee, survive him. His parents traveled to the U.S. on a steamship from Italy to start a new life in America. They became successful business owners of a general store. After Til was born, he quickly became a "handful," even "borrowing" fruit from the neighboring farms. Til was informally voted "least likely to succeed" in high school. He enlisted in the Army and served in WWII in the Pacific area, where he was being deployed to attack near Japan when the first atomic bomb was dropped. He earned the rank of Master Sergeant. After WWII, Til returned from the service determined to go to college and become a medical doctor. He wanted to live in Texas and go to school and was accepted and went to Southwestern University in Georgetown, where he flew airplanes to earn extra money to pay his bills. He told many amazing stories to his grandchildren about air stunts and "near miss" landings. After graduating in 1954, he attempted to enter Medical School but was not accepted. His father knew the Senator of Connecticut, who set up a meeting with President Johnson. He drove to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Johnson and asked for a letter of recommendation. President Johnson gave him the letter after satisfying his concern that he would make his home and practice medicine in Texas. He finally realized his dream, graduating from The University of Texas Medical school in Galveston in 1958. While in medical school, he met his first love, Sally Van Zant. After graduation, they married and moved to San Antonio. He opened his medical practice, caring for a multitude of patients, friends, and family for the next 50 years. He finally retired, reluctantly from his medical practice in 2008. Til was a devoted husband and father, who enjoyed hunting and fishing with his sons and buddies. He had so many hunting stories through the years that each time you sat with him he could tell you a new one. Til was blessed with a thrifty nature, so he always had numerous projects going at all times. He enjoyed "fixing" things. He was able to travel the world and see sites that he only imagined as a child. I'm writing this while on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean sea, visiting Italy, his parents' homeland. It occurred to me that we are all similar to ships. We are built with many different shapes and sizes. As we travel through life the seas, we create a wake. This wake can be small, or big and wide, and truly affects those around us. I believe that my father created a big, wide wake. Although I would have wished him many more years to enjoy the pleasures of life, I realized that God has His perfect plan for each of us. It was through my father's service to others that he gained the greatest pleasure. He will truly be missed because of all the lives he touched, in the city he served and loved. We will all miss him deeply. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 16 at The Fellowship of San Antonio Church followed by a reception to celebrate his life.

Tributes

Dr. Attilio Zaccaria

September 14, 1926 - October 5, 2010