John Joseph Mazeika, of Shrewsbury, died on Monday, August 16, 2010, at the age of 80. Loving and beloved husband for over fifty -five years to Rita C.(Walent) Mazeika of Shrewsbury. He is also survived by his loving children, Sandra Berquist , married to Ronald of Sterling, MA; Cynthia DeCristofaro, married to Robert of Braintree,MA; John A., married to Margaret of Oxford, WI; James, married to Teresa of Worcester,MA; Michael , married to Leanne of Sturbridge, MA and Christopher, married to Camden also of Sturbridge, MA. Beloved Grampa to Brian and his wife Melissa, Kristen and her husband Andrew, Matthew, Nicholas, Ian, Dylan, Maxine, Adrienne, Jack, Thomas, Elise, Kaspar, Adam and Eben. He is also the brother of Barbara Clark of Nashua, NH, and was the brother of the late Albert, Robert, Daniel, Raymond Mazeika and Katherine Kane.

Born in Worcester, MA, John was the sixth of seven children. He grew up in Worcester and spent most of his summers working the family dairy farm in Jefferson, MA. He graduated from St. John’s High School and the College of the Holy Cross. He received his Masters degree in Education from Boston College. John served proudly in the Army during the Korean conflict. He began his career in education teaching and as a guidance councilor in the Shrewsbury school system. He spent the majority of his career though, in higher education administration, assisting thousands of students in his role as registrar at Fitchburg State College. He also spent many a Saturday afternoon assisting as a high school football coach and then serving as a referee.

John loved life, his family, and especially his best friend, his wife Rita. Together, they built a lifetime of special memories as they raised their six children. John had a great sense of humor, and all who knew him were touched by it. John loved his Catholic faith and was proud of his Lithuanian heritage. He enjoyed summer vacations on Cape Cod, gardening, fishing, rooting for the Red Sox and football- be it high school, college or pro. In the past several years, John truly enjoyed following the exploits of his fourteen grandchildren, who loved telling their special Grampa all about their daily activities and accomplishments- and he loved hearing all about them. He will be missed by all.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with John’s family on Friday, August 20, 2010 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Britton-Shrewsbury Funeral Home, 648 Main Street, Shrewsbury. The funeral Mass celebrating John’s life will be celebrated 11:00 AM on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at St. Mary’s Church, 640 Main Street, Shrewsbury MA. Burial will follow in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to: Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115.