Produce veteran Louis Pizzo was 78

Louis Paul Pizzo, who established the wholesale fruit and produce brokerage company Lou Pizzo Produce Inc., died Sunday, Feb. 11, surrounded by his family. He was 78.

Born in Bridgeton, NJ, on June 7, 1945 as the eldest son of Louis Pizzo Sr. and Josephine Pizzo (Traina), Mr. Pizzo attended Deerfield Township Schools alongside his three siblings and numerous cousins from his large Italian-American family.

Mr. Pizzo attended and fondly remembered his experience at the historic Valley Forge Military Academy in Valley Forge, PA, later returning home to serve as president of the class of 1963 at Bridgeton High School. He graduated from Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH, with a degree in biology in 1967. While at Franciscan, Mr. Pizzo received the prestigious Junior Class Award in recognition of his academic achievements and was named president of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Delta.

After graduation, Mr. Pizzo’s love of all things natural led him to join his father in operating Six Points Farms, which he was instrumental in growing into one of the largest commercial farms in the eastern United States. Always standing out among his peers, Mr. Pizzo was a member of the Cumberland County Board of Agriculture, and he was named Outstanding Young Farmer by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture in 1970.  

While raising his family and building his business, Mr. Pizzo’s lifetime of giving extended beyond the home and into his community, where for over 30 years he was an elected member of numerous boards and committees, including three terms as a member and chairman of the Deerfield Township Board of Education, two terms as a member of the Cumberland County Vocational Board of Education and two terms as chairman of the Cumberland County School Boards Association.

In 1980, Mr. Pizzo established Lou Pizzo Produce Inc., a wholesale fruit and produce brokerage. Beginning as a one-man operation where Mr. Pizzo personally delivered product he sourced and loaded himself, he earnestly grew the business into a successful multi-state operation with employees and offices in New Jersey, Florida, Arizona and California.

A consummate professional, Mr. Pizzo was renowned throughout the produce industry for his integrity and business ethics. A trusted supplier to retailers and wholesale markets in major cities across the Northeast and Canada, Mr. Pizzo took great pride in achieving and maintaining the highest available credit and trading practices ratings in the produce industry for more than 25 years.

A hard worker who rose before dawn each day, Mr. Pizzo was an equally lighthearted man with a naturally sunny disposition. Active and on-the-move until his final days, Mr. Pizzo was a certified and instrument-rated pilot, who often flew single engine planes to destinations around the mid-Atlantic. In his younger years he was known for announcing spontaneous vacations to Florida or to the Vermont mountains to ski. As he grew older, he enjoyed traveling even farther, memorably taking his entire family — including grandchildren — on unforgettable vacations to Alaska and in 2014 to Italy enabling three generations to explore their heritage together.

An accomplished businessman, Mr. Pizzo’s work was never done to gather luxuries for himself. A naturally joyful person, his leisure time never aimed at personal pleasures alone. In these and all other endeavors, Mr. Pizzo dedicated himself to a singular purpose and true passion — his family.  Anchored by his commitment to his wife, Angie, his loving partner in all things for over 57 years, Mr. Pizzo’s quiet and confident leadership set an ideal for his three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Always prizing time together as a family above all else, Mr. Pizzo spent countless hours sharing his wisdom, encouragement and passion for life with his children and grandchildren around the family dinner table, his favorite place on earth. He was a wonderful man who lived his life for others and set an example for all who come after.

Mr. Pizzo is survived by his wife Angelina Pizzo (Coia); his children, Gina D’Orazio (James), Jennifer Bifulco (Michael) and Christopher Pizzo (Jennifer); his grandchildren, Anthony Tamburri (Claire), James D’Orazio Jr., Carmen D’Orazio, Michael Bifulco II, Violet Bifulco, his namesake Louis Paul Pizzo, Sophia Pizzo and Thomas Pizzo; his great-grandchildren, Ryan Tamburri and Maverick Tamburri; and siblings Jennie Mariano (Joseph), Christine Bidic Nicosia (Joseph) and Michael Pizzo (Marie).