Sadly, on May 23, 2024, at the age of 57, John Eugene Bortolazzo passed away. He was born in Santa Barbara on July 15, 1966 to John Bortolazzo (deceased) and Barbara Smith Bortolazzo.
John was the youngest of four children. He attended Foothill Elementary, Goleta Valley Junior High and San Marcos High School, graduating with the class of 1984.
John was an active man, who loved hiking in our foothills and creeks; backpacking, camping, surfing and skiing, and was an accomplished fisherman. He often treated family and friends to fresh sea bass and halibut. He never really ate the fish himself, but he was proud and happy to share with everyone.
John was great with dogs, and was especially fond of Queensland Heelers. He trained RD (Rat Dog) and Ozzie, who were beloved pets for his mother.
As a boy, John was introduced to coin collecting by our father. They would go to coin shows looking for unique silver and gold coins. His dad taught him to inspect every coin he received – looking for the pre-1965 silver quarters and dimes.
Another passion of John’s was football. He was always in anticipation of football season. Once the Super Bowl was over, he was counting the months until the new season would begin.
He was a fierce Philadelphia Eagles fan. If they were on TV, don’t bother asking him to watch the game with you, he required uninterrupted viewing.
John was a creative, artistic man with many talents. He created beautiful clay pottery, was an exceptional fiberglass laminator, and he also had a green thumb.
Among other things, he especially liked to grow extremely hot peppers that most people couldn’t tolerate, but he would dare you to taste one! According to family members, he made the best barbecue chicken.
John was very lovable, sensitive and sentimental. He saved cards, letters and photographs that he had received from friends and family, and continued to mourn the early loss of his father and brother.
He was fun, loyal, kind, and wouldn’t speak negatively about anyone nor listen to gossip. If you were one of his friends, he wouldn’t use your real name, you had a nickname.
John will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends. He was preceded in death by his father John Bortolazzo; brother Wes Bortolazzo; and brother-in-law Bobby Smith.
He is survived by his mother Barbara Bortolazzo; sisters Lisa (Rob) Smith, Paula Bortolazzo; niece Ashley (Samuel) Ouimet; and nephews Scott Smith, Adam (Kati) Smith, Dustin Smith, Sean Snider, Marcus Snider, Tucker (Victoria) Snider; and nine great nephews and nieces.
Memorial service to be determined.