Author: Connerly, Marc

RCAC is deeply saddened to share the passing of roofing industry icon, and more importantly, our very dear friend, Johnny Zamrzla (“Johnny Z”), at the age of 86.

While Johnny’s professional accomplishments and contributions were almost inconceivably impressive, any tribute must begin with who he was as a person. Current RCAC President Dave Stefko stated, “For the last 41 years, I have known and worked closely with Mr. Z. I am not only a better leader for knowing Johnny, I am a better man.”

Former RCAC Administrator and very close friend of Johnny, Ilene Connerly, said, “I can honestly say he was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He didn’t know the meaning of ‘disloyalty.’ It wasn’t in his vocabulary.”

Professionally, it would be impossible to summarize all that Johnny accomplished while remaining concise. He was a member of the RCAC Board of Directors for more than 40 years (elected to RCAC Hall of Fame in 1996) and helped form the Western Roofing Contractors Association (elected to WSRCA Hall of Fame in 1999).

Johnny was a Past President of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), receiving their prestigious J.A. Piper Award in 1984, and he was a three-time President of the Roofing Contractors Association of Southern California (RCASC), as well as a three-time RCAC President.

In 1991, Johnny received RCASC’s first “Award of Excellence,” which was later renamed the “Johnny Zamrzla Award.”

Speaking about Johnny on a professional level, President Stefko said, “Johnny Zamrzla is a name synonymous with roofing. In an industry spread far and wide, yet close in so many ways, there is not and certainly will never again be someone so well known and revered as Johnny Z. Johnny spent his life working to build a business to support his family and at the same time worked even harder on behalf of the rest of us and our families to make our industry better and more professional. When no one was there to deal with legislation that could hurt our businesses, Johnny was the one who was always there to represent us.”

RCAC Vice President Rich Lawson stated, “He was a roofing industry icon whose legacy will live with the industry forever.” Mr. Lawson also acknowledged Johnny’s tireless support of RCAC, NRCA and WSRCA.

To see a full list of Johnny’s extremely impressive professional accomplishments, please visit here. To read his equally impressive bio, please see here.

Johnny was also an avid cattle rancher and rodeo fan. In 2020, the California Finals Rodeo posted this tribute to Johnny: “Happy Birthday Wishes to Johnny Z – Chairman of the Showdown Rodeo Committee and President of the PRCA California Circuit. Husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, businessman, philanthropist, mentor, friend, leader. Sir, thank you for all you do for, and in support of, our communities and the sport of professional rodeo! Thank you for making this world a better place!”

Before closing, I will add that Johnny was a very dear family friend who will be missed tremendously. He reminded me of my grandfather, which is about the highest praise I can give a man.

He was a “gentleman” in the truest sense of the word; kind, honest, hard-working, and if there is one word to sum up Johnny Zamrzla, it is “integrity.”

It’s been an honor knowing you, Johnny Z!

Marc Connerly, Executive Director