Isiah Christie 
Community is the secret to Hoboken’s livelihood. It’s a small world of colorful personalities, familiar faces, and shared history. And nobody knows that better than Poppy, Hoboken’s 100-year-old resident and war veteran.
John A. Zarro, known affectionately as Poppy, is a Jersey City native who has spent the past few years embracing Hoboken life. Poppy sat down with HG to tell his story of spending a century in New Jersey and the Hudson County area. From one-of-a-kind stories to life advice, he had a lot to share. Read on for our Q&A with Poppy, Hoboken’s 100-year-old resident and WWII veteran.
Poppy’s Backstory
Photo credit to Michelle, Poppy’s granddaughter.
Poppy was born in Jersey City on January 27th, 1926, and grew up on Bergen Avenue, by St. Aedan’s Church. He spent his youth there, describing it as a vastly different landscape from today. The mayor ruled the city”, Poppy said, referring to Frank Hague, Jersey City’s mayor from 1917 to 1947 – a record 30 years.
He was 18 years old when he was drafted into military service for World War II in 1944, joining the United States Navy. He was brought into a camp where he learned the fundamentals of serving for war, before being shipped by train to Philadelphia to sail away. Initially stationed on the USS Mount McKinley, he later participated in three invasions in the Western Pacific.
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After the war ended, Poppy returned to the United States mainland. He settled in Rutherford with his wife and sold fruit in New York City. His wife passed away at the age of 33 from leukemia, and Poppy has since spent time living with his various sons, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Poppy has been living with his granddaughter, Michelle, in Hoboken for three years.
Poppy’s Favorite Spots in Hoboken + His Love for Travel
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HG: What would you say are your favorite places here in Hoboken?
Poppy: “There’s a friend of mine who works in McDonald’s – he’s the manager, so I go there maybe twice a week. I go to the Italian pizzeria Tudino’s, the chef cooks for me. If I bring porkchops or steak, he makes it for me.”
HG: You also mentioned you have coffee that you like. Do you have a favorite coffee spot?”
Poppy: “Yeah, I go to my friends here, at Bluestone. They’re all friends of mine in there, you know? That’s my first stop. I go have my coffee, then maybe I’ll go to Union City, meet some friends of mine. I can take a bus here, take a bus there. I can travel pretty good at my age.”
Here, Poppy’s granddaughter, Michelle, chimed in on the conversation. Michelle runs an Instagram account named @whereispoppy, where she chronicles Poppy’s lifestyle + adventures in Hoboken. She also mentioned that he often takes the bus to visit horse racing tracks.
Poppy: “I like horses. That’s my pastime, I take the bus there. I travel. I got marbles, so I may as well get going!”
HG: What’s the favorite place that you’ve traveled to?
Poppy: “My granddaughter in Texas. Oh, she’s my sweetheart. I got a grandson [there], Peter, and Jeremy. Takes me shopping, takes me here, takes me there. And my wife and I used to go to Florida. Jacksonville. I used to go for my horses, I had nice friends from the neighborhood, they were bartenders, and I got a job as a room service waiter in a big hotel on the beach.”
Poppy’s Memories of the Jersey Shore + New York, and Seeing Classic Musicians
Photo credit to Michelle, Poppy’s granddaughter.
HG: Do you have any favorite memories of New Jersey?
Poppy: “My neighborhood was my favorite. I grew up with these colors of mine. We all went to work together and went down the shore a lot, you know, right in the summertime. We’d get there on Saturday, stayed ‘til Monday, and come home and go to work. You can’t beat the ocean, man – it’s the best ocean that I know about, even better than Florida. I loved it every time I went down.”
HG: Did you have a favorite town to visit at the beach?
Poppy: “Well, I went to Asbury, I went to Belmar, I went to Seaside, I did them all. At night, Seaside, in the daytime, Asbury Park…I went to go see the bands in the 30s to the 40s. They had big bands down there.”
HG: Are you a big music fan?
Poppy: “I love music, yes. I love to hear it, like, I’ve got Perry Como on now…Frank Sinatra was my favorite growing up. Wonderful music, wonderful songs, wonderful bands…there’s no place like the 40s. Then Elvis Presley came in, and the bands went out. It became movie stars.”
Poppy’s granddaughter, Michelle, mentioned Poppy’s history with peddling in New York City – a fond memory of his, which sparked a conversation about his love for New York.
Poppy: “I worked in Chinatown for about 15 years. I moved around pretty good.”
HG: What was New York like back then?
Poppy: “Lovely. I always loved New York…New York just has a certain feeling. Especially if you went out at night and knew your way around. I used to go to Copacabana, and I took my wife there. I used to go there constantly and see all the top singers. Sinatra, Como, all the singers that sang there. When they were there, I went. The line was around the corner!”
“I grew up with the Yankees…Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, all the heavyweights. I used to go to World Series, when they played the Dodgers…I did everything, everything. New York Giants, New York Jets. I used to go watch ball games, you know, a lot. Football, baseball…50 cents, you get on the train, and you’re there [Yankee Stadium]. You’d just catch a train here at Jersey City.”
Poppy’s Time in the Military + Present-Day Traditions, Reflections, and Celebrations of Life
HG: How was your military service? How has it shaped you?
Poppy: “So I went through my fundamentals, and they shipped us up, and I went by train. They didn’t tell us where we were going. So while we’re halfway there, they tell us we’re going to Philadelphia to pick up my ship. I was stationed on [the USS] Mount McKinley. I made three invasions.”
“Then I went to Japan, and they loved us. The girls, everybody there, they loved us. I had a wonderful time in Japan, I did two months. I used to take the train from Yokohama to Tokyo. Lot of food, a lot of fish, I always liked fish. We did alright for the two months we were there … no regrets.”
HG: Do you have any traditions that you’ve practiced for a long time?
Poppy: “Oh, of course! Christmas, Thanksgiving, I got my daughter, she makes a turkey and all, I go there in Texas and have Thanksgiving. That’s what we do – see, I come from a family that was really dedicated to holidays. My grandfather, he used to have all the children for the holidays, that’s how we grew up. That’s why we all love them.”
HG: What is the secret of making it to 100?
Poppy: “What would I say…good food. Cooked right. The food’s number one. When I was growing up, that was a foundation, so to speak. My mother was a great cook, so I come from a line where food is the priority. I always ask Michelle if I gotta make some. I make peppers and eggs, I make broccoli rabe, I make pasta fazool…I [still] cook.”
“[and] School is the whole ticket. You gotta have foundation, and the school is foundation. That’s it. The you gotta take it on your own as you grow up, but school is the foundation.”
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