Richard J. DeFazio's Obituary
Richard DeFazio Obituary
Richard J. DeFazio, 77, of Elyria, died Tuesday, April 20, 2021. He was born May 20, 1943 in Elyria and graduated from Elyria High School in 1961. For 35 years, he was employed at Pick-N-Pay, now called Tops Supermarket, retiring in 1998. As produce manager, he received awards for his apple displays. After retiring, he worked as a warehouse manager at the landscape and irrigation supply store Wolf Creek Company, Avon Lake. Richard was a 49 year member of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Elyria. He was an avid race car fan, especially the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team. He and his wife attended every Indy 500 since 1976 and every Brickyard 400 since its inception in 1994. He escaped Ohio winters by vacationing in Cape Coral, FL where he loved boating, going to car show cruise-ins and the beaches. Anything that needed repairing, he could fix. Other interests included working in his yard where he had the greenest lawn in the neighborhood and was very proud of it. He rescued many stray cats, including his dearest BC who passed away a few years ago. Richard is survived by his wife of 56 years, Diane (nee Walker); son, Tony DeFazio and his wife, Lena; grandchildren, Dominick, Jacob and Siena; a sister, Linda Fisher and her husband, Lamar. He is also survived by his two black rescue cats, Squirt and Stinker. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dominick and Elizabeth DeFazio. A private service will be at Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Elyria with Reverend Patrick Nicolino officiating. Burial will be in Brookdale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Congregational Church of Christ, 330 Second Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035 or an animal shelter.
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