Obituary of Pat Matarazzo

Pat (Patsy) J. Matarazzo, of Rockaway, passed away at home on February 23, 2026. He was 81. Pat grew up in Paterson and Wayne and lived in Rockaway for over 35 years. Early on, Pat was a machinist and entered the Navy in 1963. He was stationed on the USS Holland which was a submarine tender in de Rota, Spain during 1965-66. During this time, Pat served on these submarines and was a deep- sea salvage diver. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.

After being Honorably Discharged from the Navy in 1968, Pat continued to work as a machinist before moving on to Morristown Wastewater Treatment Plant which eventually led to a position at Hanover Township Wastewater Treatment Plant as a lab technician and manager. Ultimately, he worked his way up to becoming the Superintendent for the Verona Wastewater Treatment Plant where he worked from January 1985 and retired December 1, 2010.

Pat became a strong advocate and well-known and respected voice for the Clean Water Council of NJ. He worked tirelessly on improving legislation in Trenton. As a leader in his field, he was invited to speak at many conferences and share his expertise on different panels. Pat also started and operated Patmat Environmental LLC, which became an extremely successful consulting business for several years after he retired. As a consultant, he worked with many wastewater treatment plants throughout NJ to help them streamline and improve their operations.

In 1999, Pat was awarded the WAVE Achievement Award for his Initiative and Leadership on Behalf of the Passaic Dischargers with Respect to the New Jersey Clean Water Council, The Passaic River Basin Alliance, and the AEA NJPDES Negotiating Team. He also received the Leadership Service Award from the Environmental Authorities for his Dedication and Service from 2007-2012.  Pat also was awarded The Leroy Forman Award from NJWEA for originality, significance, comprehensiveness, effort and most importantly, the certification of research and application of in-plant studies of operational processes.

Pat was a Porsche enthusiast and was the proud owner of a couple of vintage models throughout the years. He belonged to the Porsche Owners Club of America, and he participated and attended track meets, shows, and events. He enjoyed vacations at the Outer Banks in North Carolina where he loved surf fishing. On weekends, Pat also delighted in “treasure hunting” at estate, garage and yard sales, and haggling over prices to get a great deal. Pat also shared his “special chair” with the many dogs that were rescued and became family members of the Matarazzo household throughout the years. They brought many hours of joy, contentment, and laughter to his life. He was also known by family members as a “Trekkie,” because he was such a devoted fan of Star Trek. The original series was his favorite.

Pat is pre-deceased by his wife Judith Matarazzo who passed away on December 31, 2025, and his brothers John and George.

He is survived by his son, John Matarazzo of Redondo Beach, CA, his nephews, Michael (Chatham) and Mark (Basking Ridge) Matarazzo and their children, his sister-in-laws, Debbie Cramer and Lynne Stagg both of Rockaway and his nephews, Gary Smolaga, and Dave and Brian Stagg.

A Memorial Service will be held at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Ave., Denville, NJ on Saturday, March 7^th from 2-4 pm. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may contribute in his memory to The Raptor Trust, 1390 White Bridge Road, Millington, NJ 07946, or by clicking here.