Obituary of John Scott Bavaro

It is with great sorrow that our family announces the passing of our son, brother, and father, John Scott Bavaro, 57, of Santa Barbara, CA, who passed away on September 26, 2023, due to complications of a heart condition.

John was born on March 29, 1966, to Barbara Diane Bavaro and Vitorrio Jerome "Jerry" Bavaro at Daniel Freeman Hospital in Inglewood, CA. John was a happy, beautiful, curly-haired, blue-eyed boy. His mother remembers that from the very start he had the most beautiful smile. 

He grew up in the Inglewood area and attended Lennox High School, where he made many lifelong friends. While his path in life was not always an easy one, his loyalty and love for the friends he made along the way is legendary.

John enjoyed all types of music, and at a very young age discovered and embraced punk rock. He made friends with many members of his favorite bands and attended hundreds of concerts, slam dancing, crowd diving and singing along with all the words he knew by heart. 

John loved the ocean and spent a lot of time at the beach. He enjoyed fishing and deep-sea fishing, swimming and snorkling. John also enjoyed photography, and shared on his social media many photos of natural beauty he encountered on his hikes.

He loved to cook and grill, and would often hold big backyard barbecues, inviting all of his homies over to enjoy the food and camaraderie. There were also those epic times when he would cook a huge pot of his famous chili or spaghetti. John loved to feed his friends.

John worked for many years as a warehouse manager at Citrix in Santa Barbara, a job he enjoyed and was proud of. His most recent job was working with Bailey Construction where he started as an apprentice carpenter, and was soon brought up to a supervisor's position.

Of all of the accomplishments in his life, the birth of his son, Jesse Alexander Bavaro, in 2012, would prove to be the biggest turning point in his life. Jesse was, from the moment he was born, the love of his life, his pride and joy, his reason for living. As a tremendously devoted father, John spent every minute he could with his son and took an active role in his upbringing. Jesse meant the world to him and, from the moment Jesse was born, John's heart belonged to Jesse.

John was an active member and activities director with the local Santa Barbara Narcotics Anonymous program and regularly attended fellowship meetings at Leadbetter Beach. John's friends have memorialized him with tributes stating how many people's lives were touched by his participation in the program, his meaningful acts of love and service, and how so many benefited from his support and care and his judgment-free attitude.

Those who knew John appreciated his loyalty, integrity, positive attitude, humor and generosity. He never failed to tell the people he loved what they meant to him. He worked hard and lived his life fully.

John had decades of kinship with countless friends who will carry his legacy, his memory and his stories forward to share with his son, Jesse. 

We were all blessed with his life on this earth while he was here with us.

John is survived by his son Jesse Alexander Bavaro, his mother Barbara (Bavaro) Rhoads, his father Jerry Bavaro, and his sister Beverly Bavaro, who will always hold John in their hearts.

John will forever be missed by his chosen son Brandan Visser, his step-siblings Giselle Rhoads and Robert Rhoads, and his memory will be forever cherished by a multitude of caring friends who were truly his chosen brothers and sisters.

There will be an open casket viewing on Saturday, October 7, 2023 from noon until 2 p.m., where family and friends are invited to pay their final respects, at McDermott-Crockett & Associated Mortuary, 2020 Chapala St. in Santa Barbara.

In lieu of flowers, a GoFundMe account has been set up (https://gofund.me/0c55461a) to collect donations for his son, Jesse Alexander Bavaro.