Longtime Staten Island Zoo employee, who enriched the lives of children and animals for 30 years, dies at 57

New York’s Staten Island — Following a fight with lymphoma, John Ponzio, who worked at the Staten Island Zoo for 30 years, passed away on Sunday, January 11, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He was fifty-seven.

Ponzio, who spent many years as the manager of the Staten Island Zoo’s Children’s Center, began volunteering there in 1994 before joining the docent program and eventually becoming a zookeeper.

According to the Staten Island Zoo’s Facebook page, “He was devoted to the animals he cared for, but he was also a great co-worker, a respected supervisor, and a genuine friend.”Here at the Staten Island Zoo, John Ponzio has left a lasting legacy that has affected both people and animals. He will be much missed.

“The sheep and goats are running to the fence all day because to them it means food, so yes, they miss the visitors,” remarked zookeeper John Ponzio. (Jan Somma-Hammel/Staten Island Advance)

Alex Carr, a veteran employee of the Staten Island Zoo, said, “John Ponzio has been not only my friend but also my coworker and fishing buddy for the last 31 years.” His constant smile and gentle spirit brightened every day as we started our adventures together at the zoo. I appreciate all of the fun and happiness, my friend.

According to Ponzio’s obituary, his love of wildlife education and conservation made him a well-liked member of the community and permanently altered the organization he served with such distinction. John was a multi-interested individual who found happiness and comfort in life’s small pleasures. He was a passionate fisherman who frequently visited the calm seas near Staten Island and Boca Raton, Florida, to enjoy the tranquility that nature can offer. He nursed and cared for all species, big and little, with a soft hand and a compassionate heart, demonstrating that his love of animals was not only a career choice but also a personal one.

For Ponzio’s birthday in 2019, Carr shared the Advance/SILive.com pictures he took of a whale in Raritan Bay while fishing with his friends.

Everyone who had the honor of meeting him could see how unselfish he was. According to his obituary, his pleasant disposition and inclination to assist others were traits that won him the respect and admiration of his family, friends, and coworkers.

His mother, Audrey Ponzio, his siblings, Dana Arnone, Nicholas Ponzio, and Linda Ponzio, as well as his nieces and nephews, survive him. Nicholas Ponzio, his father, passed away before him.

Ponzio’s love, kindness, and joy for everyone around him will live on in his memory.

According to his obituary, he provided stories, humor, and wisdom in equal measure, making his presence at family get-togethers a source of comfort and joy.