Father’s Day Interview with John Dezzutti

In this month’s Teacher Feature, and in honor of Father’s Day, we learn about beloved Dad, Step-Dad, and Grand-Dad, Charym’s very own John Dezzutti!

We interviewed John about his upbringing and background, his own large family, and his general take on parenting.

Young John with his father John Sr. and sister Nancy

John says that his inspiration for life was his own father. His dad, pictured here with children John and Nancy, grew up in the great depression and knew hardship. He was an enduring man, steady role model, and hard-working example for him and his sister growing up. John’s father was also a pilot, which inspired John’s own interest in flying gliders.

An interest in aviation runs in the family! As they were growing up, John would take his kids with him on flying expeditions. John says, “I would often have at least three kids in tow when I would go to a flying contest.” Flash forward to today, a few of his adult children are student pilots, and flying gliders has become a family hobby!

John, who is an avid runner, enjoys running the Goshen Turkey Trot every year. It has become a family tradition during Thanksgiving time.

“Having a bunch of kids never stopped us from doing anything.” John raised eight children (four of them biological, and four of them step-children). He reflects, “We got to a point where we had to find a van large enough to hold all of us so that we could all ride together in one vehicle. I wouldn’t say that our life was particularly stressful, just busy.”

Although most of his kids and grandkids now live far away, John does share a home with his son, his son’s partner, and two grandbabies. Speaking of grandchildren, John has ten! “Being a grandparent is fun and pretty easy. I marvel at my son and his partner and how they share the duties of parenthood. It is a fulltime job to have an infant. What a workload it is!”

John has many interests and hobbies, but his interest in yoga didn’t develop until later in life. His step-daughter Robyn is also a yoga instructor, and became certified before he did. Her passion for yoga motivated John to pursue his yoga training. Today he is yoga certified, specializing in adaptive yoga techniques for beginners, and those with limited mobility.

John says, “I wasn’t practicing yoga during the time I was raising my children. In yoga we teach breathwork, and how to pause, relax, and center yourself when a lot is going on around you. I would have found it very useful to have those skills when my children were small.”

Left to right: Rachyl, John, Emrys and Robyn

John reflects, “Fatherhood has made me a better person. When you are a parent, someone else and their wellbeing is more important, and becomes the priority. It’s hard to be a selfish person and be a good father at the same time.”

John has advice for young parents out there, he says, “I am an advocate for a regular date night! It’s so important to get some time out for you and your partner. If I knew starting out how much work parenthood is, I might not have done it. But looking back on it, I am so glad that I am a father. I am now reaping the rewards of it, and it was worth it.”

John teaches Adaptive Yoga on Fridays at 9:30 AM, and Gentle Flow on Sundays at 10:00 AM. John also serves as Faculty staff and advisor for Charym.

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