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Partly Cloudy Saying goodbye to ‘Mr. Lynbrook’
Hundreds pack St. Raymond’s Church to honor Barbarino
In a touching tribute to their beloved superintendent, Dr. Santo Barbarino, hundreds of Lynbrook students and alumni lined both sides of Atlantic Avenue outside St. Raymond’s Church last Friday, dressed in their school’s signature green and gold sports jerseys, to say their final goodbyes.
Barbarino — who was known to many in the district as “Mr. Lynbrook” — died suddenly on Aug. 27 after attending a meeting to welcome new teachers. He was 67.
The students, along with other community members as well as Barbarino’s colleagues, childhood friends and family members, gathered to attend a Mass honoring a man whom many described as “caring,” “devoted,” “awesome” and “amazing.”
Some wept openly as pallbearers carried Barbarino’s casket into the church. His 95-year-old mother, Santa, who was using a walker, was assisted up the church steps by her son, Al, and another family member.
“We are so blessed with the outpouring of love,” said Al Barbarino. “Everyone had a story to tell about Santo. This community was his family. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit works.”
“He had a heart of gold,” said Alice Platis, who grew up with Barbarino in Brooklyn. “I’m concerned for his mother. It’s all so heartbreaking.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” said a woman standing outside the church whose three children graduated from Lynbrook High School. “He cared. He was one of the good ones. He took time with the kids, with the parents. I just don’t understand how this could happen.”
Barbarino taught chemistry at Lynbrook High from 1980 to 1984, when he was named administrative assistant for instruction. In 1986 he became the high school principal. He was appointed assistant superintendent in 2006 and superintendent in 2008, replacing a retiring Dr. Philip Cicero.
“Not only was Santo an extraordinary educator, but he was a true community leader and friend — that special type of person who everyone enjoyed being with,” said Kevin Casey, executive director of the School Administrators Association of New York State. “[We] share in the loss of a true gentleman and beloved colleague. His influence lives on, and extends far beyond Lynbrook.”
“This remarkable man has touched the lives of so many people, and I will be forever grateful for his friendship,” said Robert DeStefano, who has know Barbarino for 35 years. “If there is an A train to heaven, Santo’s soul is on the express and in the first row and first seat.”
