Victor “Vic” Guadagno, 86, of Holly Hill, Fla., passed away peacefully on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, with his family by his side.
Vic was born on Oct. 25, 1939, in Orange, N.J., to Anthony Guadagno and Mary Peruso. One of 13 siblings, Vic spent his childhood in Oklahoma and New Jersey. He was a proud first-generation Italian American who carried the values of a large, close-knit family throughout his life.
Vic attended both the Georgia Institute of Technology and Newark College of Engineering earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He began his career as an engineer at Picatinny Arsenal, worked for a series of government contractors and went on to found his own consulting firm, Target Research. He served for a number of years as President of the American Defense Preparedness Association. His work took him traveling widely throughout his career. He took great pride in the role he played in helping to defend the United States.
Vic built the family home in Sparta, New Jersey, on Lake Mohawk, where he and his first wife, Ellen, raised their children. He was active in the community coaching little league baseball. Later in life, he and his wife Pamela “Smitty” made their home in Holly Hill, Florida, where the two of them became well known for gathering friends around them. Together they were members of the Salty Church in Ormond Beach, Florida. Vic was an active member of the Daytona Moose Lodge, the Elks Lodge and the American Legion Auxiliary.
An accomplished, self-taught musician, Vic played both guitar and piano, and despite being a rock and roller spent many nights and weekends playing music with Bill and Dottie Green and the Western Sweethearts at Wild West City. Among his proudest accomplishments was passing along his love of music to the generations who followed him — his children, his nephews, and most recently his granddaughters, who today play cello, piano, and guitar, all inspired by their grandfather.
Vic will be remembered above all for his generosity, his joyous laugh, and for a life he built and lived entirely on his own terms. His 4th of July family picnics were the stuff of neighborhood legend — full of music, mountains of food, singing Aunts, Uncle Al on the spoons, cousins gathered to perform, and laughter that lasted all day. Those picnics were simply the truest expression of a man who loved his family without reservation and who never once turned his back on anyone who needed him.
Vic would say his greatest achievement was simpler than any of it: that he lived life his own way, that he fell deeply in love twice, that he loved his children, and that he kept lifelong friendships along the way. He adored his granddaughters most of all — he was endlessly silly with them and prouder of them than of anything else he ever built.
Vic was preceded in death by his first wife, Ellen Ruth Hiler, his son, Lawrence Guadagno, his brothers Charles (Chuck), and Albert; his sisters Rose Thompson, Antoinette Digieso, Ana McKenzie, Gloria Shephard, Eleanor Annichiarico, and Elizabeth (Betty) Tafaro.
He is survived by his wife, Pamela “Smitty” Zolnierzak; his daughter, Linda Guadagno Maley, and son-in-law, Sean Maley, of Zurich, Switzerland, and their daughter, Marate Sean Maley; his son, Victor Alan Guadagno, and daughter-in-law, Eileen Shine, of Montpelier, Vermont, and their daughter, Elena Shine Guadagno; his brothers Michael Guadagno, Anthony Guadagno, Jerry Guadagno and his sister Josephine Garrison all of Oklahoma, along with many nieces, nephews, and extended family who loved him dearly.
Vic was a devoted patriot, a gatherer of friends and family, a wonderful cook, a kind and generous spirit, storyteller and above all, a musician at heart who loved his family and gave them gifts that will be shared for generations to come.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, N.J. on Oct. 17 from 1-3 p.m., with a service at 2:15 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Center or Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch in Victor Guadagno’s memory.