Gary D. Spicuzza's Memorial Page

Gary David Spicuzza was born on December 28th, 1956 in Saint Louis, Missouri. His early childhood was not very pleasant. He never knew his father. His mother, Rosalie, had a rough time raising him and his three sisters, Barbara, Deborah and Lorrie. At one point my father was in a foster home until his oldest sister Barbara turned eighteen and could legally take custody of him. He was moved from school to school at no fault of his own. It was a tough time for a young boy, and as you can imagine there were a lot of questions as to which direction his life would go.

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When he finally entered Fairview high school my dad’s gregarious personality was beginning to take shape. He and several other guys formed a tight group and made a lot of memories. A few of them worked together at Steak and Shake for their first job. They played instruments and would have jam sessions for hours. My dad played the guitar. His favorite music was southern rock. I have had the pleasure of hearing quite a few stories over the years and like many of us in high school, they raised hell and had a lot of fun doing it.

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My dad was also a great athlete. He played tailback in high school, wrestled, and ran track. He ran the 100 and 200 meter events. He once ran the 200 meter in 25.7 seconds which is pretty damn quick. Even before he died he played tennis every Saturday and bowled 2-3 times a week. His best game was a 279 and in 2013 his team won the league championship. He also participated in the Florida State Bowling tournament the past couple years. In other words, my dad was no slouch and he always enjoyed the competition.

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He would go on to graduate high school and had his share of making trouble with his buddies. He was a bit of an outlaw so to speak. They rode motorcycles and stirred the pot. He eventually settled down realizing that was not the life he wanted to lead. I believe he went to a trade school and he got a job as a plastic injection mold maker. If you know anything about mold making, you would know it takes a significant level of skill and precision, and he always reminded me when we worked on projects that we’re doing it his way, after all, he was a plastic injection mold maker for fourteen years.

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My mother, Patricia, rented a bedroom from his mother around this time and that is how they met. I think it’s worth noting my mom was several years older than him. Maybe my mom was a cradle robber, but I like to believe it was simply because Dad was mature beyond his years and Mom recognized that and all of the other great qualities that made him who he was. They eventually married and my dad bought his first house through the Homestead Act. He remodeled that home on his own which was pretty remarkable given he didn’t have any guidance, advice or skills passed down from his father. My parents would eventually give birth to me and then my sister, Angela, and they brought us home to that house in Jennings, MO.

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Later my mom would convince my dad to move the family down to Tampa Bay were she had lived in the past. A few years later they gave birth to my youngest brother, Stephen, here in Florida. My dad was always the trend setter and eventually the entire extended family followed him down to Florida.

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He found work here in Florida once again as a plastic injection mold maker, but would eventually meet a neighbor who was selling him a life insurance policy. My dad was curious about this career and after asking a few questions he was on an entirely new career path, a path that allowed him to control his own destiny. He got his original life and health insurance license in August of 1985. In just a few short years he would rise to become the number one selling agent in the entire USA for Kentucky Central Life which is now known as Lincoln Financial Group. He built a successful business and received countless awards for his hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence. Not only was he honored for the great work he did, he was also rewarded with numerous trips around the world from Hong Kong, to London, to Bermuda, to Vail and everywhere in between. It gives me great comfort to know that he traveled the world. I think it’s worth noting his financial services business is still here over thirty three years later. He had a radio show for a year on 1250 WHNZ and was featured multiple times on the TV series "The Will" on Discovery Channel’s Investigation Discovery I.D.

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Aside from the great business success my father had, it’s also my pleasure to tell everyone how great of a father he was to us; especially knowing that he never knew his father. He often said, "Good, bad, or indifferent, my children will know who their father is." And know him we did. He was awesome. Being the homebody that he was, you couldn’t ask for a better dad. He signed all of his children up for sports and I have fond memories of him being there as we all played baseball, softball, football, wrestling and cheerleading. He volunteered as a little league umpire. Something he continued to do long after we outgrew the small diamond. We personally always had a special bond when it came to football. He and I would watch the NFL religiously. I vividly remember many nights where he would pour a bag of pretzels into a bowl and we’d share a drink, as we nestled into the couch for Monday Night Football. We loved our Bucs long before loving the Bucs became cool, but I have one special memory of us going to the 2003 Monday Night Bucs vs. Colts game for a late Father’s Day gift. A game where we were up 21 points with less than four minutes to go and I was trying to convince him we should beat the traffic. He insisted it wasn’t over until it was over and sure enough we watched Peyton Manning put together one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Dad knew best.

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He taught me countless skills. Everything from the craftsman skills he learned from the fourteen years he was a plastic injection mold maker, to the financial and business skills from his thirty three year career in the financial services business. I am so thankful for the past twelve years I have worked with him. He would often tell my clients right after bragging about me, “Now remember, I taught James everything he knows, but I didn’t teach him everything I know.” It always brought a smile to my face as I’d roll my eyes. The truth is he did pretty much teach me everything I know and left me with invaluable skills, with the most important thing he taught me was how to be a man. Considering no one taught him, I look back and think how incredible that was. He did it all on his own and against the odds. He was self made. I am forever grateful to him. I am extremely proud and although I’m confident he knew it, if he were here today I would tell him thank you. Thank you for all of the sacrifices and for everything you did for me, Dad.

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My father was the most unique individual I have ever met. I know that sounds typical, but you can just ask anyone who knew him and they would tell you the same. He truly did everything his way without a care in the world. He was passionate. He ran his show and I don’t know if he had the capability of being embarrassed, maybe to a fault, but to me I felt it illustrated just how comfortable he was in his own skin. He knew who he was. He would never hold back and always told it the way it was. He was loud and bold like the good Italian that he was. He was honest, humble and would never ask anyone for anything that he couldn’t do or get on his own.

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There are countless stories and more qualities about him that I could never fit into this short summary of his life. Nevertheless, I hope some of what I shared here today does an honorable job of describing the remarkable man he was. His 61 years impacted many people and I cherish the 37 years I spent with him.

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Fast forward to last week and my life changed forever. I received the news Friday June 1st from my nephew that he and my sister found my dad passed away. As you could imagine I was overwhelmed with emotion, hyperventilating and as I hung up the phone I dropped to my knees and grabbed my two boys and held them tight. I take away some solace knowing my dad never suffered a painful death. He passed away in his sleep, presumably from a painless cardiac event.

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I am also grateful our whole family was all together at my Mom’s house the day before his death on Memorial Day. We ate Italian beef, drank some 32.5 degree beers from his cooler and hung out in the pool and hot tub. This was pretty common as our family was very close and spent a lot of time together.

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A few years ago he came up with this crazy idea that I think started as more of a joke that manifested into a reality in that when it was his time to go, he would be buried in the geographical center of a big piece of land he would own that would double as a family recreational site. He ended up buying that land over this past winter. He actually camped there twice. He had plans to build a cabin on the property and retire there at 70 years old and walk the property line.

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Like the craftsman my dad was, he was going to build his own coffin out of pine wood and 16 penny nails. It was to be a bookshelf until he died. Unfortunately he never had the chance to build it as his death came unexpected, but ultimately he explained his reasoning was the wood would rot and the nails would rust and he would go back to the Earth. He wanted an oak tree planted on top of him so that he would become the tree. He didn’t want a funeral, he didn’t want a viewing, didn't want to be embalmed. He just wanted to go naturally back to the Earth. Thursday June 7th, 2018 we buried my dad in the pine box he wanted on his property and I must tell you it was the most real event I have ever experienced. It was old school, it was special. We as a family took care of our patriarch’s final wish. We buried him on the high ground in front of what is now known as Lake Gary. In hindsight his idea was brilliant. We all have a family recreational property and he is there. We will continue his dream of turning the property into a fun place for the family; running the trails, playing horseshoes and sleeping under the night’s sky, with him right there with us.

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He never told us what type of oak tree to plant, so we decided on a Shumard Oak. In the fall the leaves turn to a brilliant red that looks like fire. It should stand out quite well against the mundane green pine and live oaks already on the property. That would describe my dad. He was bold, full of fire and stood out from a crowd.

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Until we meet again, Dad. I will miss you and I promise to make you proud.

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Your son,
James Spicuzza

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Gary Spicuzza is survived by his three children, James M. Spicuzza, Angela Spicuzza and Stephen Spicuzza; their mother Patricia Spicuzza; his four grandchildren, Dino Harrigan, Jocelyn Ruiz, Vincent Spicuzza and Michael Spicuzza; his three sisters, Barbara Dairda Hartley, Deborah Dairda Baca and Lorrie Dairda.