John Robert Ferruzzi

John Robert Ferruzzi of Lake Zurich, Illinois suddenly left our physical world on the morning of October 6th, 2025, at age 67. John was a lifelong resident of the Northern and Northwestern Chicagoland suburbs. He was known for his pure heart, humility, dedication to his loved ones, warmth shown to everyone he met, and peaceful demeanor.

For the past 9 years John had been with his life partner, Anne Rafelson. They both felt grateful to have met at the perfect time in their lives. They created a loving and harmonious life together. John always spoke about how honored he was to spend his final chapter in life with Anne.

John was born on April 14th, 1958, to Glenn and Barbara McLay Ferruzzi in Waukegan, Illinois. John grew up with his older sister, Lynne (Ferruzzi) Angelos, and younger brother, Robert ("Bob") Ferruzzi. Together, they lived the typical suburban life of the 60s and 70s where days were filled with playing outdoor sports, riding bikes, attending church, grandparent visits, and eating dinners as a family. These "Mayberry" values were very important to John as he incorporated them into his adult life. John had a close relationship with his mother Barbara, who passed away in 1987. In 1991, his father Glenn married Margaret (Stanczak) O'Brien Ferruzzi, who became John's stepmother.

John attended Waukegan High School and later Eastern Illinois University, where he received a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1980. While at Eastern Illinois University, John met his first wife, Debbie (Siegel) Ferruzzi. John and Debbie married on September 4th, 1983. John was close with Debbie's family, especially her mother and father, Eileen and Sol Siegel, as he considered them to be like parents. Around 1992, John and Debbie moved to Lake Zurich, Illinois. Their first child, Jacob ("Jake") Robert Ferruzzi, was born in 1994, and their second child, Erin Michelle Ferruzzi, was born in 1998. John and Debbie shared 25 wonderful years together, building a loving home and raising their two children. They enjoyed many adventures, from Colorado's mountains to concerts and family trips, and remained close friends throughout their lives.

John had a successful career in the sale of laboratory glassware at SP Wilmad-Labglass and VWR International. He ultimately retired in 2023. In his free time and in his retirement, John enjoyed visiting his children, vacationing to Solana Beach, CA with Anne, golfing with his friends, mowing the lawn, watching Chicago sports games, gardening, meditating, walking in nature, exercising, watching the Andy Griffith Show, and listening to his favorite music. John considered himself to be a spiritual person and enjoyed reading about and implementing aspects of Buddhism in his life. He lived with integrity and always supported his loved ones, who describe him as "their rock."

John is remembered by his children as a devoted, loving, and sensitive father with a gentle heart. He made it to every sports game, music practice, and school event for Jake and Erin, and cooked meals for them every day throughout their childhoods. Together, John and his children sang along to Bruce Springsteen during car rides, vacationed several times to their favorite state of Colorado, and John was always there to listen without judgment and offer his wisdom. John was incredibly supportive of Jake and Erin in all aspects of their lives and loved talking about how proud he was of them. John will forever remain their hero. Most of all, through his lifelong actions, John taught his children the meaning of unconditional love, which they will carry with them and practice throughout their lives.

In addition to raising two children and being a loving partner, John provided a wonderful home to many dogs and cats throughout his life, including Bucky, Max, Sam (2), Buddy, Mystic, Zen, and Lily. John had an especially close relationship with his dog Mystic, whom he rescued.

John is survived by his life partner, Anne Rafelson, his children, Jake Ferruzzi and Erin Ferruzzi, his siblings, Robert (Melody) Ferruzzi and Lynne (Andrew) Angelos, his cat Lily, his granddogs Nigel and Odie, and many nieces, nephews, friends, and extended relatives. His parents passed before him: his mother, Barbara in 1987 and his father, Glenn in 2021.

John kept a soft heart in every interaction with his loved ones and strangers alike. His spirit will live on forever through those who had the gift of knowing him.

A celebration of life event will be open to the public and held at the Jewel Tea Pavilion at Citizens Park, 511 Lake Zurich Road Barrington, IL 60010, on November 2nd, 2025 from 12-4pm. John's close relatives and Anne will be speaking at this event, and anyone else who would like to honor John by speaking at the event will be welcome.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue, the organization from where John rescued Mystic, to support the adoption and rescue of animals, a cause near and dear to John's heart. You can visit their website below to make a donation or mail a check to the address listed below:

https://www.fortunatelabrescue.org/home.html

Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue
P.O. Box 1296
Palatine, IL 60078

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