The Andrew Mazza Foundation

"Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy." - F. Scott Fitzgerald 

It's as if those words were written for this exact moment, when I write to tell you, who Andrew Mazza was.  Andrew spent most his life in Greenfield Township, as have 3 generations before him.  He graduated Lakeland High School in 2011 and received a degree in Machine Tool Technology from Lackawanna Career Technology Center.  Andrew was a member of the Operating Engineers Union, Local 542, along with his father, uncle, cousins, and his grandfather, Mike Mazza, who served as vice president until retirement.  Andrew loved running heavy equipment, trucks, snowmobiles, and spending time at Newton Lake with his family and friends.  More  than all of that... he was the smile when you didn't have your own, the extra set of hands when you didn't have enough, the shoulder you could lean on, and the company you were always happy to have.  The bigger question is not who Andrew was but who he will always be.  He will always be a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin, a friend, and yes...a Hero.  I say hero because heroes emerge from tragedy, they put the well-being and safety of others above their own, even to the point of self-sacrifice.  There's a young woman, who is now a mother to a beautiful boy,  that will go on to live a full life because she was fortunate enough, that at a time of tragedy, Andrew was at her side.  He was her smile, her hands, her shoulder, and her company when she needed it most.  While we will forever grieve the loss of Andrew, to know him, is to know...that what he did, is exactly what we would have expected him to do.  It is who he was and who he always will be.  So I ask that when you hear the word "hero" please remember my dear friend, Andrew Mazza, and spare a thought for him, his sacrifice, and his family.  I too, will forever do the same.  

-Dawn Ziegler, The Andrew Mazza Foundation Board Member