Dr. John Anthony Bellizzi Jr. died on March 15, 2025, surrounded by his family.
John is survived by his wife Linda; his children, Matt Bellizzi (Kellin) of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., Susie Cirone (Frank) of Lunenburg, Mass., and Ben Bellizzi of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and six grandsons, Braden Bellizzi, Cam Cirone, Linden Bellizzi, Nico Cirone, Collin Bellizzi, and Matthew Cirone. He is also survived by his sisters, Janet Bellizzi Connors, Diane Bellizzi Lee (Pat), and Carol Bellizzi, to whom he continued to be the big brother; his nephews, Jeff Connors, Adam Lee (Ali), and Andrew Lee; and his niece Amy Connors Remington and her children, Madeline, Connor, and Cole.
Born in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 1945, to John and Teresa Bellizzi, John grew up in Eastchester, N.Y., and graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from Georgetown University before earning an M.D. at the University of Virginia. Dr. Bellizzi trained at Washington Hospital Center in D.C. and Roosevelt-St. Luke’s in New York City. He served in the National Health Service Corps and was on the faculty of University of Connecticut Medical School, where he started community-supported clinics in Hartford based on the National Health Service Corps model. He went on to practice internal medicine in Great Barrington for 20 years. He modeled being curious, hard working, and resilient in hopes that he would inspire his children and grandsons to embrace these qualities. Always motivated to learn more, he pursued a mid-career fellowship in infectious diseases at the UMass Medical School. Following a summer medical mission trip to Rwanda, where he worked in a women’s health clinic, Dr. Bellizzi pursued a career as an infectious disease specialist on the faculty of Froedert Health & the Medical College of Wisconsin and later at the Albany Medical Center. Afterwards, he shared his medical expertise through Volunteers in Medicine. John was an avid reader of medical journals and newspapers; he maintained certifications so that he was able to be up to date when people requested his advice. He cared so much for his patients that it was not unusual for him to head out on a house call, do a health check on a patient he happened to see in the hardware store, administer life-saving care in church, or fall behind schedule when seeing patients because he was taking time to connect with them.
Regardless of where his medical career took him, John loved being at home in South Egremont, where he would run or cross-country ski up Pine Crest Hill. The Berkshires offered him the opportunity to ride his bicycle, run, canoe, and cross-country ski. He cultivated his love of sports in his children, taking them on bike rides, running the Turkey Trot, or competing in triathlons including the Josh Billings Runaground that he raced 35 times with family, friends, and co-workers. While he was proud of his own kids, he took the most joy as a fan of his grandsons. He connected with them at each stage of their development, from sending them into fits of laughter by blowing bubbles in a wading pool or reading bedtime stories in funny voices to offering them highly detailed help with high school biology. He planned his visits to maximize the number of cross-country ski races and soccer, hockey, and baseball games that he could attend.
John Bellizzi dedicated his whole life to his family, to medicine, and to his community. The family will remember and miss his ready smile. John will be missed by his family and all those who knew him.
John would not have been able to be such an integral part of his grandsons’ childhoods without the valiant efforts of health teams and blood donors. For those looking for a way to honor him, please consider a donation to the American Red Cross or to Doctors without Borders.
