In Memoriam

Treasurer Anthony Zielinski - Mayor DePiero's Eulogy Delivered March 30, 2011

Father Carlin, Mr. and Mrs. Zielinski, Ken and Rosie, young Anthony, Traci, the entire Zielinski family, assembled friends and loved ones. I was honored and humbled to be asked to say a few words this morning about a great man, a man who will be sorely missed. It is indeed a very sad day for all of us. We have lost a great man in the prime of his life, a man full of vision, energy, passion, friendship and love. It is appropriate and even natural for us to grieve and to be sad, to ask why could God take someone from us who is so young and full of life and potential; we could be mad that he was taken from his son, Anthony and the love of his life, Traci, with so much living to do and so much love to share - but Anthony wouldn't want us to do that. He would not want us to think of his suffering or his death but rather his triumphs in life. He had the trait that we all admired so much...he was the eternal optimist. A glass half full type of person who always found good in a tough situation. He would want us to remember all of the great things he was to all of us and to the world. So that is what I attempt to do this morning.

Anthony was so much to so many different people. He had so many talents and wore so many hats so well. He was Anthony the public and community servant, Anthony the business man, Anthony the friend, Anthony the family man, and Anthony the father. He was so much to so many of us.

First, there was Anthony the public and community servant. He was as good as there was. Early on in his political career, Anthony led the local Democratic Party when I met him and always ran things like clockwork. His agenda was clear and his meetings were well-organized. I served on council with Anthony in the mid 90's - we were two of three new councilmen elected in 1995 and became fast friends. Anthony quickly became a respected voice within the city. He was loved by his constituents and gave them great service. In 2001, after 3 terms on council, he went to pursue other interests ~ but I knew he'd miss it and would someday be back.

In 2003, I sought his advice when deciding whether to run for mayor and even convinced him to run again for council so that we could tackle the city's challenges as a team. He ran and won by a landslide ~ which he always did. Funny thing is that he was so well liked that he usually was unopposed. When I introduced him at public events, I told the assembled crowds that he was the most popular Parma public official in this era. I meant it then and still do today. He was good with constituents and he frequently won over his adversaries, which were very few, if any.

Most people know that Parma's financial situation is strong today mostly because of Anthony's good work and his steady guidance and advice. He was a conservative but accurate forecaster of the city's finances. I told him often that if politics didn't work that he should replace Dick Goddard as Cleveland's legendary weather in that he was good at forecasting the future.

In tough times, he was like a rock. Steady, forthcoming, and sincere. When I had bad news to deliver to employees about city finances, Anthony offered to sit right next to me and help me deliver it. When a difficult political problem came up he always gave us good advice. I know today that several of us sought Anthony out first when there were tough problems and decisions to be made and when advice and counsel was needed. During tough campaigns, Anthony was always in the room offering sound and smart political advice and if you could garner his support, you were not only very lucky, but very likely to succeed.

I have said a lot recently, that as a leader in our political movement, he was like the glue that kept us all on track and working together, but politics was only part of his service to the community. He was active in the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Anthony was a co-founder of Leadership for Tomorrow - a legacy that will live on in his memory that encouraged young people to be involved in public service. Anthony knew it was important to cultivate young people. As for Anthony's legacy as a public and community servant - well done Anthony!

Then there was Anthony the businessman. Whether it was Kaufman Container, mortgage loans, financial strategies, or government relations...Anthony was good at what he did. He was easy to deal with, extremely trustworthy and incredibly hard working. I spoke with Traci the day he passed away and she said that he was always on the move. She said that he exhausted her with how he was always on the go and loved it. He was a real hustler and hard worker and was really very good at everything he did.

Anthony brought his good business sense to City Hall. He treated his employees well and they all loved him. He treated his customers, the public, very well also. Anthony had extraordinary business sense that we all admired.

Then there was Anthony the friend ~ which has been said so much the last few days. Anthony had a way about him. An aura if you will. When he was in a room, everyone wanted to be near him. When he talked to you, he made you feel like you were the only person that mattered. And it didn't matter if you were his friend or not - he treated everyone like this. As busy as he was - he always, always made time for his friends. His best friend Tom Mastroianni and he were inseparable. I figured it was because Anthony liked pizza and pasta from PJay's so much and wanted to bulk up a little. They were like brothers. Anthony had so many friends.

Sometimes I think that Anthony cared about his many friends so much that he didn't take enough time for himself. Often times, he would call just to check in on you for no reason. And he would definitely be one of the first to call you when something bad happened or times were tough. Isn't that one of the truest measures of a good friend ~ someone who would always have your back? Anthony always had our backs and never thought twice about it.

AZ - as we referred to him - was also incredibly good natured. Never flustered and always there with a kind hearted joke or a comforting word for his friends. One of the words I have heard over and over again over the last few days was the word "gentleman". A guy who would bend over backwards to make everyone else comfortable, even if it was the first time he met you. Anthony was indeed a true gentleman. Clearly, Anthony the friend was a great friend to many.

Anthony was the ultimate family man. We all knew Anthony was a dedicated family man and father to little Anthony. People have said that you can tell what kind of person someone is if you meet their parents. Anthony's mom and dad are special people; kind-hearted, dedicated, hard working, extraordinarily loving, family oriented and very supportive of their children ~ Ken, Rose and Anthony. These are traits that were passed along to all the children. Anthony was so proud of his upbringing and his family and talked about it often.

When I met Traci several years ago, I knew that Anthony had fallen hard. They were in love and Anthony let everyone know it. Traci, your unconditional love for Anthony and your caring spirit for him over the last year is a tribute to that relationship and the love you shared for each other. Anthony is lucky to have had you and your family in his life for the years that you shared.

And then there is young Anthony. Anthony, you were so lucky to have your dad and he was lucky to have you. Everyone knew how much your father loved you. He was so proud of you. At Monday morning meetings he would tell us about all the time he spent with you throughout the preceding weekend. He would tell us about your father-son outings, your sporting events, the movies you saw, the road trips you took and where you went for dinner. He reported how you did in school, all of the funny things you would say and everything about you.

He and I even hatched a plan how you would definitely run and become Mayor of Parma someday. There was no doubt about it in our minds. Your dad wants great things for you.

Anthony, when you think about your dad in the days, months, and years to come, I want you to remember not only how much you loved your dad, but how much he loved you. I also want you to know how respected, loved and revered your dad was to all of us and to everyone he met. He was proud of you and wanted you to grow up to do great things. He knew that you would work hard and do the best you could, but he also knew that, like all kids, you weren't perfect and that at times you would make mistakes. When that happened he wanted you to learn from your mistakes and be a better person for them. he also wanted you to be a good friend to all. To help people when they were in need. To be patient with others and to help those who couldn't help themselves. And to be loyal to your family and never forget where you came from.

Anthony - we know that today you are sad just like the rest of us. It is okay to cry. But we want you to know that we know that your dad wanted you to continue to live life to its fullest, to be happy and to remember him as the dad you always knew.

Today we mourn the loss of a local icon ~ a colleague, a leader, a friend, a neighbor, a brother, a father, a lover. Let us not remember how he left us but what he meant to us when he was here. Let us celebrate the time we had together and look forward to the day we will see him again.

God Bless you Anthony ~

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Mayor James W. Day - Mayor DePiero's Eulogy Delivered August 30, 2010

Parma and Northeast Ohio lost an icon a few days ago. That icon was someone who has been accurately described as a man who possessed great wisdom, unparalleled vision, and a never-ending pride in his community. That icon’s name was James Walter Day. He will truly be missed.

Whether you knew him as James Day the friend, James Day the veteran, James Day the public servant, Councilman, Mayor, real estate executive, or James Day the father, grandfather, brother, and husband - we all knew him as someone who loved life, his community and most of all his family.

James Walter Day was born on June 25, 1924, the youngest of ten children, in a house on Valley View Drive - now known as East Ridgewood Drive in Parma, Ohio. 1n 1929, the family moved to Hinkley where he grew up and attended Hinkley High School and excelled in all that he did. In 1942 out of a sense of service to his country, he joined the service and served during World War II. In 1950, James and his wife of three years, Carol, bought a house on Salisbury Drive in Parma. About the same time, he began learning the real estate trade and became a licensed real estate agent.

His political career was launched when he was elected as Parma Ward One Councilman in 1953 and quickly made his mark in various areas of city government. It was about that time that he predicted he would be Mayor in ten years. Sure enough he was elected in 1962 by a comfortable margin. He served as Mayor from 1962 - 1967.

As has been widely acknowledged, he displayed wisdom and incredible vision that made Parma the fastest growing suburb in the country and oversaw progressive development of the area.

Today, a number of Parma's major institutions and businesses thrive and have benefited thousands of area families due to his vision, work ethic and ability to get the job done.

Tri-C West probably would not be where it is today but for the fight that then Councilman Day started in 1956 to convince the state to bring it here. Mayor Day knew the value of education and Tri-C West became a reality. Today, over 13,000 students attend this place of higher learning that continues to be one of Parma's proudest and largest employers.

Mayor Day was also instrumental in the establishment and expansion of Parma Community General Hospital. Today, it is the largest independent community hospital in the State of Ohio and Parma's second largest taxpayer. More importantly, the hospital's excellent staff cares for and cures thousands of area families every year. The establishment of this hospital in Parma is clearly one of the great benefits of living in the Parma-area.

Also, as Chairman of the Parma Planning and Zoning Council Committee he oversaw the expansion and development of Parmatown Mall and the Day Drive area. Furthermore, he helped to shepherd the development of various new businesses and numerous residential subdivisions.

Today, Graftech International houses its headquarters on Snow Road as a result of Parma's efforts led by then Mayor Day to attract Union Carbide to the site over 40 years ago. Graftech is a worldwide leader in the development of cutting edge energy technology.

After he left office early to become a Vice-President of Higbee’s Corp., he negotiated countless commercial real estate transactions around Northeast Ohio including notable developments such as Settler’s Landing, Belden Village Mall and projects in the warehouse district.

But even after he retired from public service and Higbee’s, Mayor Day never stopped giving back to the community. His generous donations include thousands of dollars to Padua High School, St. Charles Borromeo, and James Day Park in Parma, Ohio, and various other good causes inside and outside of the Parma-area. His personal contributions have benefited the lives of many area residents for years.

As many of you know, over the last week I spent lot of time at Parma Community General Hospital due to the birth of our first son, Blake. The night before Mayor Day passed away, I visited him on the 7th floor of Parma Hospital where he was in great spirits, looked relaxed and even joked and asked whether he could offer me a drink - which consisted of a medical cocktail - to prepare himself for his upcoming colonoscopy. I gracefully declined but we spent time talking about his role in the establishment of our great hospital and how good it has been for Parma and the entire region.

How ironic... the night before his passing, the man who has been an area icon was being cared for at one of the very institutions that he help create and the fact that he was telling me, the current mayor, the story of how it all came to be.

The list of Mayor Day's accomplishments and the lasting legacy that he left on the city that he loved are far too many to mention today. The historians will continue to document those many accomplishments.

Today, I have spoken a lot about wisdom and vision and how this great man possessed these qualities and put them into action many times throughout his life, not to benefit himself but to benefit a community and a region. But one quality that this man also possessed was great pride in his community and his family's name.

He was so proud of his family, his son and his grandchildren and spoke of them often. But as often as he spoke about them - a close second was the pride he had for his other love and passion, the City of Parma. You don't find folks these days that talk and act with such great pride for their hometowns. Truly they are a disappearing breed.

But today and every day forward, I hope you will join me in using Mayor Day's life, his legacy, and his accomplishments to be visionaries for our communities, to be proud of our communities, and to give back to our communities and other institutions that we care about. This is what the lesson of James W. Day's life should teach us, and I know that is what he would want you to think about as you go forth today.

Last week we lost an icon, but his legacy lives on. We thank him for teaching us about vision, wisdom and pride. May god rest your soul, Mayor Day.

It is an honor to be asked to eulogize such a great man and visionary leader this morning. I want to thank the Day family for extending me the privilege. God bless all of you, God bless Mayor Day and God bless the great city of Parma.

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