Wendell Zanotti

G. Wendell Zanotti of Arvada, Colorado, passed away on September 22, 2025. Wendell was born in Hyde Park, PA. His family moved to Phillipsburg, NJ when he only two years old. He attended Phillipsburg public schools and graduated in 1963 from Phillipsburg High School.

Wendell started playing the trumpet when he was 10 years old and would walk across the Delaware River Bridge to Easton, PA, where he took lessons at Ken Brader and Son, music store until he graduated high school. He played in the middle school band and was in the marching band, jazz band and concert band in high school.

He attended Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, as a chemistry major but realized that he spent more time with the music majors and other musicians. It was easy access to lower Manhattan using the Staten Island Ferry and so he frequented the venues featuring all of his favorite jazz artists, thereby increasing his love for music and realizing he needed to major in music. He transferred to Glassboro State Teachers College (now Rowan University) in Glassboro, NJ after just two years at Wagner.

Glassboro had an excellent music program and he wanted to be able to teach music in the public schools. Graduating in 1968, he began teaching both classroom music as well as the instrumental music program at Woods Road School in Franklin Twps., Gloucester County, NJ. He left Woods Rd. School after two years and moved to Somerset, NJ with his wife, Catherine. There he took a job at North Plainfield Public Schools, teaching elementary instrumental music for 34 years.

After moving to Arvada, Colorado in 2005, Wendell joined the Jeffco Community Band led by Rob Phillips and Patty Nelson, and the Sentimental Sounds Swing Band. These he enjoyed for over ten years until Parkinson’s disease made holding and playing the trumpet difficult. It was esophageal cancer that took Wendell’s life.

Wendell is predeceased by his mother, Viola Beryl Zanotti, father, Martin B. Zanotti and brother, Martin B. Zanotti, Jr. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Catherine Helmstetter Zanotti, son, Michael (Dina) of Medford Lakes, NJ, daughters, Nicole Caranci (Christian) of Erie, Colorado, Mary Zanotti (Kate Nehring) of Denver, Colorado and Wendy Fivehouse (Steven) of Arvada, Colorado, eight grandchildren, Meredith and Aleah Zanotti, Natalie and Lily Caranci, Rylee and Owen Duke, and Logan and Colin Fivehouse, and niece, Lisa Zanotti of Houston, TX and nephew Glenn Zanotti of Frisco, TX.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the North Plainfield NJ Board of Education designating your gift for the music department in Wendell’s name. Mail check to Pam Graziano, Business Administrator, North Plainfield School District, 33 Mountain Ave. North Plainfield, NJ 07060 or The Davis Phinney Foundation (for Parkinson’s Disease.) https://davisphinneyfoundation.org