Obituary of Stephen Cuzzilla

Stephen Cuzzilla, 81 of Hammonton was called home to the Lord on May 19, 2012 at his home. Born in Girardville, PA on June 16, 1930 he moved to New Jersey with his family in 1940. He graduated from Hammonton High School in 1949 where he participated on the baseball, basketball and football teams. He was selected to the All-State First Team in football, in November of 1996 he was installed into the Hammonton High School Hall of Fame. In 1947, at the age of 17 he joined the National Guard by forging his mother's signature on his enlistment papers. He served as an enlisted man for seven years, before being commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Artillery. In 1957 he graduated from the United States Artillery and Guided Missile School at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He commanded Battery C of the 157 th Field Artillery Battalion in Tuckerton, NJ for many years. This later became the 5 th Armored Field Artillery. In 1970 he again attended the Artillery School at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for a refresher course. He was then promoted to the 50 th Armored Division Artillery Headquarters, as the Division S4 in charge of logistics. He served for twenty three years and retired as a Major. He enjoyed gardening, fishing and bowling, as well as other sports. He belonged to the 157 th Field Artillery Bn. Assoc., UNICO one of the largest Italian American Clubs in the U.S.A., and the Sons of Italy Lodge No. 2613 in Northfield, the Military Officers Assoc. of America, where he was Commander for seven years. He worked for Atlantic Electric Co. for thirty five years, where he worked in the line gang, then he was a electric heat salesman. The last twenty years he worked in the Real Estate and Right of Way Department, where he was a Right of Way Agent. He did not miss a day of work in the last twenty years. He was a member of the Quarter Century Club of Atlantic Electric. He was predeceased by his father and mother, Dominick and Esther Cuzzilla (nee Thompson), his sisters Angela LoPresti and Martha Hadley and his younger brother Rocco Cuzzilla. He is survived by his loving wife of sixty years, Marie Cuzzilla (nee Lucca), his brother, Sam Cuzzilla of Clarksboro, his sister, Philomena (Freda) Olsen and her husband Larry of Florence, WI, his brother in law, George Hadley of El Paso, TX. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. A viewing will be held Wednesday, May 23, 2012 from 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Parish Church of St. Joseph's, 226 French Street in Hammonton, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM. Entombment will follow at Greenmount Cemetery in Hammonton. Donations may be made to the 157 th Field Artillery BN Assoc., 924 Tramore Avenue, Absecon, NJ 08201-1514. Arrangements by the Carnesale Funeral Home, www.carnesalefuneralhome.com