Obituary of Donald John Passerino

Donald John Passerino, 81, passed away on Saturday, December 21st with his family around him. He was married to his wife of 61 years, Pauline, on July 1st, 1952. Don was active in the community, serving on the traffic commission for the City of Santa Cruz, leading his son's Boy Scout Troop as Scoutmaster, and helping to organize the first Santa Cruz Band Review in 1971, donating countless volunteer hours since then to make the yearly event a success. He was also an avid football fan, cheering on his favorite 49ers from the stadium every home game. Don is survived and loved his wife Pauline; his children Cynthia (Gene) VanHootegem, Sandra (Greg) Carroll, Thomas (Karen) Passerino, and Don Passerino; and his grandchildren Kate VanHootegem, Angela (Lewis) Nerenberg, Andrea Carroll, Christopher Passerino, and Billy Passerino. He was preceded in death by grandson Scott VanHootegem. Public visitation will be held Friday December 27th at 6:30 PM. at Santa Cruz Memorial Park, 1927 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Don's favorite charities: Shriners Hospital for Children or St. Jude Children's Hospital.