Greg Pezzoli

Gregory Pezzoli of Portage died unexpectedly on Friday, March 25, 2016. Greg was the first of two miracles the Lord bestowed upon us. He arrived at our Worthington, Ohio house in a shiny, white Mercedes-Benz on a bright, sunny day on November 20, 1988. As our first child he was the light of our lives. He had a twinkle in his eye and a laugh that would melt your heart. He walked quickly and found two loves. The first one was the theme song from the television program, Jeopardy. No matter where he was in the house when the music started Greg came crawling or running to the television set. His second love was the book Where The Wild Things Are. As adults we became tired of reading the book but he was relentless. We were saved when we found a video tape of the book with someone reading the book with animation. He wore out the tape. He must have had a weird sense of humor because he would pull himself up to the sofa next to his dad and enjoyed watching The Three Stooges. One of the happiest days of his life was the day that he greeted his little sister, Kristen. The smile on his face when he first held her was priceless and was one we captured in a photograph that we will cherish forever.

From the first day he was an active child who definitely was not risk-averse. It was not uncommon to find Greg on his skateboard cruising through the neighborhood with boys much older than him. In his mind he couldn’t grow fast enough to be able to ride the highest and fastest roller coasters. When that finally occurred theme parks became a common family destination. From the time he was a toddler he was attracted to water. By the age of six it was suggested that he join a swim club. His first meet was at a 50-yd outdoor pool in Kansas. It seemed to take forever for him to breast stroke across it. But Greg was a determined child. He not only made it across but he won his first swimming ribbon. There would be many more over the next decade as he progressed all the way to earning four high school letters and swimming at three Michigan high school championships. While he enjoyed swimming at times it wasn’t exciting enough for him. Then one day while living in California he found water polo. He loved it! Unfortunately the sport was not available when he moved to Wisconsin, however, it became part of the bargaining chip for moving to Michigan. His new high school had a water polo team. In the off season he helped coach the girls’ team as well. That love of the game followed him to college as well where he was a member of the club team.

Greg was extremely bright. Maybe sometimes he was too bright. With just a smile he could get his way or get out of doing things. He was a top student. He was a member of his high school National Honor Society. That and his swimming prowess gave him the ability to pick any college he wanted. We can still remember dropping him off at his dormitory and inquiring whether everything would be ok. He flashed back that heartwarming smile and we knew our little boy was little no longer.

Greg had many interests. He was an avid reader. He loved comic books. One of his happiest days was when his dad passed his comic book collection from the 1960’s to him. However, music and especially movies were his passion. He could spend hours watching movies and analyzing them. His ideal job would have been a movie critic. He was an expert with rock music. Classic to grunge to progressive rock was well within his repertoire.

Greg suffered much from his terrible disease. Recently and on a bright, sunny Good Friday, when the Lord died, he took our beloved son Greg to heaven with him to ease his pain. It’s where he always belonged. Little did we know that when we were given the miracle of him that we were just entrusted with providing him with love for only 27 years. God loved him so much that he wanted him back.

Greg was a 2007 graduate of Portage Northern High school where he excelled academically and athletically. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2011 from Xavier University. Recently he was pursuing further studies at Western Michigan University. He is survived by his parents, Paul and Gena Pezzoli of Portage; a sister, Kristen, of Chicago; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. Greg was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents: Barbara Roberson and Avit Aymond; and his paternal grandparents: Julius and Philomena Pezzoli. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday at 11 AM at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Visit Greg’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo of him and sign his online guestbook. Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Kalamazoo www.ccdok.org . Arrangements by Life Story Funeral Homes, Betzler – Kalamazoo; 6080 Stadium Drive (269-375-2900).

Greg, you will forever be in our hearts. Over the course of your short life we watched you grow from a rambunctious toddler into a handsome young man. Your kind and gentle personality touched the life of everyone you met. Your beautiful smile is emblazoned upon our soul. We celebrate the peace and happiness you now find and so well deserve. You truly were one of God’s greatest creations.