Darrel Richard Massaroni, 76, of Mt. Dora, FL died Thursday, September 14, 2023. Darrel was born in Bluefield, WV on November 24, 1946, son of the late Evelyn (Wood) and Raymond Massaroni. He lived in central Florida since 1982.
How does one capture in prose a man and a life-lived that there are no corporeal words to describe? To all who had the pleasure of knowing him, he was spellbinding. A man of music and business and humor and love. A man who did not follow one path; but instead forged any path he wanted, and navigated each with complete success; from playing the French horn in the US Army band and playing trumpet on tour with Billy Joe Royal in the ‘60s and ‘70s, to owning & publishing an entertainment magazine and managing a platinum-record rock band in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s. An adoring and loving father and husband, a mentor and a leader to many, he was also an avid fisherman and expert marksman.
Darrel is survived by his wife, Sue (Phillips) Massaroni; brothers Michael Massaroni of Princeton, WV and Mark Massaroni of Bluefield, WV; daughter Darci Burke and his granddaughter Jaden of Jupiter, FL; son Sam Mitcham (Kristin and Zeke) of Longwood, FL; and daughter Ashley Massaroni and his grandchildren Parker and Evelyn of Winter Springs, FL.