At the age of 80, beloved butcher Mario Zollo, of Mario and Sons Meat Market (662 Metropolitan Ave.), passed away on June 23.
Zollo was laid to rest on Monday, June 27, at Saint John’s Cemetery (80-01 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village) following mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church (275 North 8th St.) and visitation on June 26 at D’Arienzo Funeral Home (104 Skillman Ave.).
Zollo was born in a small Italian town called Fontanarosa, near Naples in the southern section of the Italian peninsula, and moved to Williamsburg with his family when he was twenty years old.
Zollo leaves behind his wife, Emma Zollo, and sons Louis and Mario Zollo. He also had another son Pasquale Zollo, who passed away. Zollo was also the grandfather of Louis, Carmine, Emma, Lou Lou, Robert, Mario, and Giovanna Zollo. He was the brother Giuseppe Zollo, Gerardo Zollo, Antonio Zollo, Lina De Iesu, Maria Iannuzzo and the late Dante Zollo.
In addition to his family, the North Brooklyn neighborhood is collectively mourning the loss of a legend. On the D’Arienzo Funeral Home website, many people shared memories about Mario and wrote condolences to his family. The website also offers links to send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Zollo.
Zollo and Mario and Sons Meat Market were neighborhood staples. The Italian butcher shop has been part of the Williamsburg community for decades and before that, Zollo operated the butcher shop in Queens for 20 years. The market is known for its old school vibe with good quality meat sold at affordable prices.
Online, the shop continuously receives rave reviews from locals and even tourists discovering the shop for the first time.