City Park Holds Special Meaning To One City Employee

John Pizzurro

When most people who live or work in Gahanna think of the name Pizzurro, they may think of a redeveloped park or the dog park.  But for one employee of the City of Gahanna’s Department of Parks & Recreation, Pizzurro Park is a reminder of his childhood and his family.  It’s no wonder that John Pizzurro is proud to talk about Gahanna and his family’s donation of the land where the park is located.

In 1943, during the same week that John was born, his father bought 216 acres of farmland in the area of what is now Claycraft and Morrison Road.  He said his dad’s intention was to retire there and run a farm and in 1949 that is just what he did. 

“My dad bought that land with the idea that he would retire there,” Pizzurro said.  “We had lived in Columbus and he had owned a bar on Twentieth and Leonard.”

John explained that his father had worked at that bar for many long hours and days and wanted to retire in what was then Jefferson Township after turning the bar over to his sons.



Department of Parks & Recreation employee John Pizzurro

The family moved to the new farm and John, the youngest of four siblings, grew up helping tend the farm that raised cattle as well as grew grain and corn.   One of his father’s other dreams, he said, was to build a park for families to enjoy.

Sadly when John was only five years old, his father passed away. The idea of a family park never left their family’s heart.  Years later the family would take a huge step to seeing this through with their donation of land to the City of Gahanna around 1984.

Although the land for Pizzurro Park had been donated in the 1980’s it still had not been developed to the park that it is today.  “It was somewhat developed [at the time],” John said, “But it was more of a reserve than a family park.”

In 2005, John said, the park began its transformation to what is now a vibrant, much used dog park for families and their best friends. The Pizzurros, John said, were approached by the City with the idea of the dog park.  The idea was to update the park and make it into something that Gahanna would be proud of.  John explained that he liked the idea, but he asked that the spirit of his father’s intention for the idea remain: Make it a family park.



John Pizzurro stands next to the playground
equipment at Pizzuro Park



But John’s journey around the world and back home to Gahanna is a story within itself.  When John was old enough, he join the Navy and served on active duty from 1965 through 1967. When he left the Navy, John came home and worked for Columbus Mill Power, which at the time, was making parts for the military. Not long after, John worked with his brother for a time before joining the US Postal Service in 1978.  John would be a letter carrier for nearly thirty years before retiring.

“I started in Whitehall, delivered to every mailbox there at one time or another,” John said. “And then I got my own route in Gahanna and got to deliver to every mailbox in Gahanna at one time or another.”

After retiring from the Post office in 2006, John jokes that he enjoyed retirement for about five months. “I realized that I needed to be more active both mentally and physically,” John explained.

John saw an opportunity to work for the City of Gahanna in the Department of Parks & Recreation through an ad and decided that he would look into it.  Soon after, John joined the City working on the facilities maintenance crew.  Today John can be found around the Creekside Park and Plaza helping to make another Gahanna treasure shine.

Anyone who speaks with John quickly learns that he takes a lot of pride in his work. “I like to keep it neat,” John likes to say. “Because they know I am down there [working] and if it’s a mess they will look at me and ask what is going on.”

John Pizzurro’s pride in his work and pride in his family’s contribution to the Gahanna community is a credit to the Pizzurro name.  And the City of Gahanna is proud to count John Pizzurro as part of the City of Gahanna family.

Pizzurro Park has become one of the most utilized parks in Gahanna. It is a park that many residents enjoy and can be proud of all thanks to the generous donation and forethought of the Pizzurro family. 

To learn more about Pizzurro Park, or any of Gahanna’s more than 775 acres of parkland including 26 community and neighborhood parks and facilities, visit http://www.gahanna.gov/ .