Donald E. D’Zurilla died peacefully at home March 7, surrounded by family at his home in La Cañada Flintridge, after a two-year fight with myelodysplastic syndrome. He was 88.
Don was born July 20, 1935, to John E. and Julia Kasha D’Zurilla and raised in Carteret, New Jersey. He graduated as valedictorian from St. Mary’s High School, graduated from Villanova University with honors in 1957, and drove a tank in the U.S. Army National Guard.
He was working for American Mineral Spirits Co. when he met Kathleen Carroll of Carteret, who would be his wife for nearly 60 years. Over his 39 years with the company that became Unocal Corp., Don and family moved to many places — Arlington Heights, Illinois; Hacienda Heights, California; Beaverton, Oregon; and Bellevue, Washington — before landing in LCF in 1984. He retired in 1999 as VP of Planning and Services for Unocal Refining and Marketing, and President of Unocal International Supply and Trading Co.
Don is survived by his wife, Kathy; daughter Christie of Signal Hill; son Michael and wife Jeanne of Marina del Rey; sister Carolyn Marsicano and husband Peter Jr. of Monroe, N.J.; sister Julie Zanat of Trenton, N.J., and many cousins, nieces and nephews in New Jersey and Florida.
He was a member of Oakmont Country Club and loved golf and music. He traveled the world and loved Kauai. Don was a good man who was the “anchor in life’s ocean” for his family.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held at St. Bede the Venerable at 10 a.m. April 8. In lieu of flowers, consider donations to the MDS Foundation (mds-foundation.org) or American Red Cross Blood Bank.
