Joseph B. Panzarella, a student at Buffalo State, died of a choking accident at age 20 in Sisters Hospital on Monday morning.
Panzarella lived in Buffalo his whole life.
He had a passion for sports, even before he started elementary school.
“Everybody knew him as a sports guy,” said his father, Vincent Panzarella.
Known to friends as Joey Panz, he played in baseball and football and swam during high school. Every Thanksgiving he organized a pickup football game with friends and family, a tradition his friends say they will continue in his honor.
He graduated from St. Mark’s School in 2004 and St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in 2008. He then went on to Erie Community College, where he received his associate degree in hotel and restaurant management.
“His main goal in life was to own a restaurant,” his father said.
He continued pursuing this dream at Buffalo State, where he was enrolled in the restaurant management program.
His friends remember him as a person they could always count on.
“He was a hard worker, and he was always there for everybody,” said Owen Doyle, a longtime friend of Panzarella and a business major at Buffalo State.
Panzarella always knew when someone needed him, Doyle said, and would even drive for over an hour to visit a friend who was having a rough time.
Panzarella is survived by his father and his mother, Cheryl Panzarella.
A Mass will be offered at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in St. Mark Catholic Church, 401 Woodward Ave.