John Cavalieri of Toms River passed away on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at the age of 91. John was born on September 10, 1934, to Francesco and Concetta (Scalone) Cavalieri in Ragusa, Sicily. He was the youngest of six siblings. At 16 years old, he left his hometown and went to Rome and shortly thereafter to Venezuela, where he learned the trade of furniture making. Shortly after, he moved to the US arriving in Brooklyn, NY, on a very snowy St. Patrick's Day. Here he met the love of his life, Rosaria Emma Macca; and they were married on October 31, 1959. John worked for NYNEX Corp. (Verizon) in the Bronx, NY, for over 30 years until his retirement. He and Rosaria moved to Lodi, NJ, where they lived most of their lives together. They were members of St. Francis de Sales and St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Churches in Lodi. John was also a member of the Santa Croce Camerina Society in Hawthorne, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus in Paramus. In 2021, John and Rose moved to Toms River, NJ.

John is survived by his son John Cavalieri and his wife Lilia; his daughter Margaret Iozzia and her husband Joe; 7 grandchildren and their spouses (John Cavalieri and Mollie, Michael Cavalieri and Melanie, David Cavalieri and Gordon, Lauren Moy and Skyler, Danielle Arnowitz and Sam, Jenna Jordan and Dennis, and Sondra Iozzia and Palemon) as well as 10 great grandchildren and one on the way.

John will truly be missed as a father, grandfather "Grandpa John", uncle and friend. His operatic voice, jokes, laughter and conversations will truly be remembered.

Visitation will be held at Kedz Funeral Home, 1123 Hooper Ave., Toms River, on Sunday, March 29 from 2:00 – 5:00pm. All are welcomed to say their final goodbyes on Monday, March 30, 2026 from 10:00am - 11:00 am at the funeral home. Entombment to follow at 11:30am at the Ocean County Memorial Park Cemetery, 1722 Silverton Road, Toms River.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research/Disease at: www.MichaelJFox.org Donations should be made in memory of John and Rosaria Cavalieri. Notification of your donation can be sent via the website to Cavalieri/Iozzia Family: 184 Susan St., Toms River, NJ 08753.