Greg Tufaro, journalist and Senate staffer, dies at 59

Greg Tufaro, the chief of staff to State Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), died on August 10 after a five-year battle with a rare form of blood cancer.  He was 59.

Tufaro spent more than three decades as a sports reporter for several New Jersey newspapers, covering high school and college teams for the Home News Tribune and the Courier News.

He joined Diegnan’s staff in 2020.

Tufaro was predeceased by his daughter, Marisa Rose Tufaro, who died in 2017 at age 13.  Born with a complex cardiac defect, she had survived six major heart surgeries and a heart transplant, only to succumb to a postoperative complication that led to a Stage IV cancer known as post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Following the loss of his only child, Tufaro and his wife, Cyndi, founded The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.  The organization has contributed over $500,000 to support pediatric patients and children in need in Middlesex County.

In addition to his wife, Tufaro is survived by his brother, Joseph, and several sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews.

Relatives and friends may call on August 16 from 1-5 PM at the Costello-Runyan Funeral Home in Metuchen.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on August 16 at 10:15 AM at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen.

The Tufaro family has asked that in lieu of flowers, “please consider performing a simple act of kindness in Greg’s memory.”