Plan for the Future
Giancarlo “Johnny” Manuzzi, of Whippany, passed away after a long battle with heart disease at Morristown Memorial Medical Center on April 10, 2020. He was 62.
Born in Torrioni, Avellino, Italy, to the late Pasquale and Flora (nee Lepore) Manuzzi, his family moved to Maracaibo, Venezuela when he was three years old. At age 8, they immigrated to Union City in the United States before finally settling in Madison. This experience made him multilingual, speaking Italian, Spanish and English. Johnny was a hard worker all of his life. He started working at the age of 9, delivering newspapers and making pizzas. He owned multiple pizzeria’s throughout his career. He was most well-known for the Johnny’s Pizzeria in West Orange, which later became Johnny’s Pizzeria in Whippany. Many of his original customers from West Orange would come visit him in Whippany to reminisce about the good old days when it was $1.25 for 2 slices and a Coke! He loved making pizzas and greeting customers. He would often be seen sitting at his table in the pizzeria, eating lunch with his favorite customers and friends, who he loved to joke with and tease.
Johnny loved his family and friends. On the few days he took off, he enjoyed nothing more than heading into NYC’s Little Italy for a meal at one of his favorite restaurants with family. He also cherished his visits back to his home town in Italy. He was fun, loving and enjoyed life. He was a Giants and Knicks fan and appreciated a well maintained muscle car- mostly old, but also new.
Johnny was loved and adored by so many family and friends and will be greatly missed. He was a loving son, husband, father, brother, uncle, and great uncle.
He is survived by his wife Angela (nee DeFinis) of 33 years, daughter Flora Marrese and her husband Mark of Andover, son Pasquale (PJ) Manuzzi of Whippany, sister Giovanna Porciello-Donnarumma and husband Giuseppe of Union, and mother-in-law Maria DeFinis (nee Dattoli) of Denville. He is also survived by a large extended family, both in the US and in Europe.
In light of the restrictions surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, the family is delaying memorial services until such time the precautionary measures and guidelines in social gathering are lifted. Please hold Johnny, as well as his family, in your prayers and hearts until we can gather to celebrate his life.
