A Santa Clarita fire captain was honored in Sacramento Saturday with fifteen others who passed away this past year.

 Los Angeles County Fire Department Fire Station 111 Fire Captain John D. Mazzocco died on Dec. 12, 2013 at the age of 48 after battling a long-term illness.

Mazzocco’s name was added to the California Fire Foundation Memorial Wall at the California Fire Foundation 2014 Memorial Ceremony.

His name was added to more than 1,200 others who lost their lives while working for a California fire department.

The objective is to include the name of every firefighter who died in the line of duty in California since California became a state in 1850, according to the California Fire Foundation website.

The annual ceremony provides an opportunity for firefighters, families and the public to pay their respects to the men and women on public safety’s front lines, according to the California Fire Foundation website.

Mazzocco is the son of retired Battalion Chief Bob Mazzocco and began working for the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 1986, according to the Los Angeles County Firefighters Memorial website.

More information about the event can be found on the California Fire Foundation website.

SCVHistory Obituary on Mazzocco

John D. Mazzocco was raised in the Santa Clarita Valley where he attended Newhall Elementary, Placerita Junior High and graduated from Hart High School in 1983. John played four years of baseball and football at Hart before attending Piece College where he continued football while pursuing a career in the Fire Service.

John and his wife Lori met on a blind date in 1988 and both knew instantly that they had met the person of their dreams. They have been inseparable soul mates ever since.

John and Lori were married in 1991, son Matthew arrived in December of 1993 followed soon by Michael in July of 1995.

He was hired in 1986 as a firefighter with the Los Angeles County Fire Department where he worked in a variety of assignments, spending most of his career in the Santa Clarita Valley.

John served as firefighter, paramedic, engineer and Captain at Fire Stations 111 and 73.

As a family they enjoyed traveling to many locations where John taught the boys a love for different experiences, cultures, history and above all, to have compassion for their fellow man.

Appreciating what the world has to offer and not living in a bubble were lessons regularly passed down.

Whether good or bad experiences, there were many “Mazzocco Adventures.”

John is preceded in death by his mother Karen Mazzocco and is survived by his wife and best friend Lori, sons Matthew and Michael, father Bob (Helena) Mazzocco, brothers Tom (Gypsy) & Mike (Loni) Mazzocco, his wonderful in-laws, Alex & Patt Kerr and numerous loved ones.

He will be greatly missed.