Obituary of Harold Zanardi

Harold "Mike" Zanardi, age 80, of Centerbrook passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday evening December 30, 2014 at his residence. Mike was the beloved husband of Joanne (Sbrolla) Zanardi. Mike and Joanne were married on April 16, 1966 at Saint Joseph's Church in Chester. Mike was born in Chester on February 17, 1934, the son of Leno Malcarne and Esther (Rampone) Zanardi and was raised by Malcolm Zanardi. He had been a resident of Centerbrook since 1988 and had previously resided in Chester. Mike had a great passion for baseball his entire life. At age seventeen he was scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a shortstop and signed a major league contract. He played in the Pirates farm league until he suffered a career ending injury. He shared his passion with the youth of the Chester, Deep River, and Essex communities for many years as a coach and trainer. He also coached the Zanardi Oilers, a women's softball team in Chester. Mike was especially proud to have coached all of his grandchildren. He was a proud Veteran of the Korean War having served his country in the United States Army. Besides his wife Joanne, he leaves his daughters, Holly Carter and her husband Bryan, of Westbrook, Julie Z. Gladding and her husband Mike, of Chester, and his son, Michael J. Zanardi, of Centerbrook. Mike also leaves his grandchildren, RJ, Katie, Matthew, Jonathan and Andrew. Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 4, 2015 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street in Centerbrook. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, January 5th at 10:30AM at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 14 Prospect Street in Essex. Burial with the Rendering of Full Military Honors will follow in the Resurrection Cemetery, Route 145 in Westbrook. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mike's name to the Essex Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 233, Ivoryton, CT 06442, or to the Ray of Light Farm, Inc., 232 Town Street, East Haddam, CT 06423.To share a memory of Mike or leave a condolence for his family, please visit www.rwwfh.com.