John L. Zilly

John L. Zilly, 88, of Narragansett, died December 18th in hospice care at South County Hospital. He is preceded in death by his wife, Eulalia O’Toole Zilly and son Michael, and is survived by children John, Christine, Patrick, Peg, and Jim, eleven grand children, and two great-grandchildren. Born in Southington, Connecticut, ‘Jack’ attended Cheshire Academy and the University of Notre Dame where he excelled at football (1946 NCAA Champions). Following service in the Navy during World War II, Jack played football for the Los Angeles Rams (1951 NFL Champions) and Philadelphia Eagles. While in California, he had roles in several movies. He coached football at the college and professional levels including head coach for the University of Rhode Island and assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1972 Grey Cup Champions). Following his coaching career, Jack was the successful owner and agent of O’Neil-Zilly Real Estate for fifteen years. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00AM on Monday, December 21st at Saint Mary, Star of the Sea Church in Narragansett. Visiting hours are 4:00 to 7:00PM on Sunday, December 20th in the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted by the De LaSalle Christian Brothers Building Fund, 635 Ocean Road, Narragansett, RI 02882.