Henry P. Zecca Sr. April 26, 1929 - January 16, 2012 Henry P. Zecca Sr., age 82 of Garrett, IN died at 7:29 p.m. Monday, January 16, 2012 at St. Joseph Hospital in Ft. Wayne. He was born April 26, 1929 in Garrett to Camillo and Frances (Aversa) Zecca and they preceded him in death. Henry married Mary H. Butler on November 28, 1947 in Roanoke, VA and she passed away on October 26, 1995. Henry was a brakeman and worked on the bridge gang for the B & O Railroad and CSX, retiring in 1991. Henry was a Navy veteran serving as a flight trainer on the U.S.S. Layatee, which was the first carrier to land jets on its deck. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Garrett. Henry was very involved in local politics in the 1960's. He was a Democratic Precinct Committeeman in Garrett. He worked on the campaigns of President John F. Kennedy, Indiana senator's Birch Bayh and Vance Hartke and congressman Edward Roush. After John F. Kennedy's assassination, he and his wife, Mary, kept in contact with Kennedy's personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln for many years. IN 1963 Henry took his mother, Frances Zecca to Washington, D.C. to be a part of the thousands of people watching the funeral procession for President Kennedy. Henry also took his mother and a nephew to Chicago when Pope John Paul XXIII came for a visit. He loved babies and little children; watching sunsets; traveling to the South West; reading and keeping a journal. He never lost his sense of humor or his faith. Henry is survived by a daughter, Brenda Buck of Garrett; 2 sons, Lawrence Zecca of Garrett and Henry P. (Vickie) Zecca Jr. of Waterloo, IN; a sister, Elizabeth Schlotterer of Chandler, AZ; 5 grandchildren, Brooke Zecca, H. Paul Zecca III, Justin Buck, Amanda Zecca and Jennifer Buck and 4 great grandchildren. Henry was preceded in death by his parents: Camillo and Frances Zecca; wife: Mary H. Zecca; brother: Vincent Zecca and 2 sisters: Evelyn Ferguson and Ellen Conkle. Visitation will be from 3-8 p.m. Friday, January 20, 2012 at Thomas Funeral Home in Garrett. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, January 21, 2012 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Garrett with Fr. Andrew Nazareth officiating. Burial will take place at a later date in Calvary Cemetery in Garrett. Memorials are to St. Joseph Catholic School or the American Lung Association.