Marissa Elaine Zuchetto

Our beloved mother, daughter, sister and aunt, passed peacefully on Saturday, August 12, after a courageous eight-year battle with breast cancer. Marissa loved being a mother to her two children; watching butterflies; growing flowers and every other kind of plant; supporting her students and their families; taking walks with her German Shepherd Koda and rescue cat Kiwi; visiting the splendors of Hawaii; sleeping with a soft rain outside; and any chance to share her keen sense of humor and huge love of life with family, friends, colleagues, and students.

As a dear friend recently wrote about Marissa, “she was the total package – smart, beautiful, funny, witty, compassionate, and impactful.” 

Marissa was born on March 2, 1973, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was baptized at St. Olaf’s Catholic Church with her parents, sisters and godparents, Linda and Al McDonald, in attendance. Her faith in God would shape the remainder of her days on Earth and her eventual journey to everlasting peace in heaven. Marissa was raised in Bountiful and Park City attending school at Cosgriff Elementary in Salt Lake and graduating from Park City High School. She earned a B.A. in Communications from Southern Utah University. In later years, she pursued and accomplished a master’s degree in education administration while working full-time as an elementary school teacher and raising her young son.

For more than 20 years, Marissa chose to share her talents, work ethic and dedication to high-quality, equitable education where the thousands of children she encountered could reach their full potential. She began her career in Salt Lake and Park City as an elementary school teacher. Marissa then became an Assistant Principal at Glendale Middle School before being selected to lead Northwest Middle School where her strength as a connector and builder of positive school climate made her the perfect choice for the job. Under her leadership, Northwest was named the Salt Lake City School Districts’s top performing middle school in 2018. Marissa measured her success in the smiles and joy of her students found at school every day. She delighted in laughing and joking with them at lunch, in the halls, and at their after-school activities. Marissa’s passion for her students everywhere led her to take a position at East High School where she loved nothing more than cheering on her Leopards at every game, performance, and activity she could possibly attend.

Colleagues have recently shared their reflections on her impact: “You were such an amazing human and a great leader who helped me become the educator I am today…you were a ray of sunshine when you walked into a classroom…you will be really missed by all in the Salt Lake City School District, not just the staff, but your students who loved you so much.”

Marissa’s story with metastatic breast cancer was profiled in Images Of Hope by Dana Klein. The family takes comfort in Marissa’s words about finding peace. She wrote, “When I first received my diagnosis, I felt overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty about what the future held. But as I have journeyed through this experience, I have learned to accept the outcome and make the most of my days living. I find peace in the moments of connection with my loved ones, in the beauty of nature, and in the simple pleasures of everyday life.”

She leaves behind her heartbroken family including her children whom she adored, Lachlan and Gabriella Zuchetto; her parents Roy and Sue Zuchetto; her sisters Nicole Zuchetto (John Brettell) and Chalaine Zuchetto-Koszinowski (Beat Koszinowski); and her nieces and nephews, Maya, Emmi, Holden, Max, Remy and Eli.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate mass at The Cathedral of the Madeline on Monday, August 21 at 11 a.m. A graveside memorial service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery 1342 East 500 South, Salt Lake City. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Donations can also be made to the “Marissa Zuchetto Trust” for her children, Lachlan and Gabriella. Please send donations to 1094 Stansbury Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108.