On the morning of June 19th, beloved husband, father and grandfather, James Vincent Mazzu, Jr. passed peacefully away at the age of 95. James was born September 21st, 1930, in Niagara Falls, NY. He lived above his grandfather Albion’s jewelry store there in Little Italy on Pine Ave. As a boy, he roamed the nearby Hyde Park, walked to the Falls to play in their powerful mists and helped on his grandfather’s nearby farm.

James moved to Warren, PA his senior year of high school, graduating in 1948. Immediately Jim attended the Elgin Watchmakers College near Chicago, receiving his watchmaker’s diploma and certificate of excellency. In July of 1951, Jim met Patty Burdick at the Marconi Club along the Allegheny River. They married February 9, 1952, and enjoyed 71 years together.

Two months after their wedding, James was drafted into the Army. He served in Korea from October 1952 to February 1954. He was not able to meet his first son, Gary, for 16 months. While in Korea, Jim served the Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG). His job as engineer was to fix and keep everything running smoothly on base, all while in an active war zone. This included training the Republic of Korea Army meaning he worked more often with Koreans than Americans. He received the Ambassador for Peace Medal from the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for his service.

On his return, James performed his top-notch watch repair skills at James Jewelers; a store started by his parents and ultimately managed by James for over 50 years. James Jewelers was a well-known feature along Liberty Street through 1999. Many a friend of dad’s would stop by the store to visit with him and hear about his latest hunting and fishing exploits.

Our father was a great woodsman, hunter, fisherman and explorer. He was always wandering the forests, rocks and Pennsylvania Game Lands on his adventures. He was a lifetime member of the Pine Grove Sportsman’s Association. He avidly studied the natural sciences and astronomy. And he believed in Bigfoot… because why not? He took his family to the Adirondacks to camp every summer, instilling a sense of nature to his children at an early age.

Our parents loved to travel, following my dad’s dreams to visit vast wild landscapes throughout the country. He got to know the Rocky Mountains while visiting his son, Gary and national parks such as Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone while visiting his daughter, Linda. He instilled his love of fishing to his son, Tom and took many trips to remote Canada to fish with his buddies. Our parents continued their travels, especially throughout the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Nova Scotia, where dad famously scrambled the cliffs to escape the high tides in the Bay of Fundy.

Our father was the ultimate conservationist. He was instrumental in protecting land through the Northern Allegheny Conservation Association, where he served as president and as a member of the Board for about ten years until 2022. He also worked in protecting wilderness in the Allegheny National Forest. In his writings, he talked of wilderness, stating “one of the rarest, hence the most valuable recreation asset, is solitude. We have enormous amounts of area where man and his machines can travel. The percentage is very small of the last, great quiet places, where only sights and sounds of God’s natural world prevail.”

James leaves behind his sons Gary and Tom, his daughter Linda and son-in-law Erik Christiansen, his granddaughter, Jennifer (Mazzu) Knisley and her husband Robert Knisley, two great grandchildren, Jacob Knisley, Richard Knisley and his wife, Anna and two great, great grandchildren August and Henry. We will miss him every day, but are happy his struggles are over. As dad used to say, “if you want to talk to me after I’m gone, go to the woods and sit quietly”. In his honor, please go to your favorite quiet place in the woods and listen to nature!

Friends may call at the Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home Inc. 304 East Street Warren PA, on Thursday June 25, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Burial with full military honors will be held on Friday June 26, 2026, at 10:00 am at St. Joseph R.C. Cemetery Mausoleum, Mohawk Ave. Warren, PA. Military honors will be presented by the Clarendon/Sheffield VFW & Warren American Legion Funeral Honor Detail, as well as active duty, United States Army Funeral Detail.

Those wishing to place memorials may do so to the Northern Allegheny Conservation Association at PO Box 661, Warren, PA 16365. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.lewisfuneralhomeinc.com., or on the funeral home Facebook page.