Longtime village activist Frank Pignataro dies

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Longtime community activist Frank Pignataro died suddenly on Nov. 25, at age 69.

Born on Feb. 28, 1947, Pignataro grew up in the Bronx, the youngest of Mary and Donato Pignataro’s three children. He worked for Atlantic Container Line as the general manager of sales, where he met his future wife, Dorothy Kleinklaus, who was a secretary there.

“He had to work up the nerve to ask her out,” said Lauren Pignataro, one of Frank’s daughters-in-law. “He kept putting it off. When Dorothy asked him later on, ‘What took you so long?’ he replied, ‘I thought you’d say no!’”

The couple were married on May 13, 1972, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Brooklyn, Dorothy’s hometown.

By 1983, they had four sons — they would eventually have six — and had moved to East Rockaway to be closer to Frank’s parents, who had moved to Bay Park a few years earlier. His sister, Phyllis, had lived in East Rockaway since the 1960s. Frank and his family brought with them Dorothy’s parents, Charles and Gertrude Kleinklaus, and her sister, Joan, who has Down syndrome. “His in-laws were always grateful to Frank for doing that, and knew that Joan would always be taken care of,” Lauren said.

When his office was relocated to South Plainfield, N.J., from Manhattan in the late 1980s, Pignataro commuted to work, not wanting to move his family again. He retired in 2010.

Pignataro was a member of St. Raymond’s Catholic Church, where he was involved with CYO and PAL sports. He also became a Eucharistic minister, bringing communion to homebound parishioners who couldn’t attend church.

“He really loved his family so much, and sacrificed in order to put his six children through Catholic grammar school and high school,” said Pignataro’s son Matthew. “He worked two jobs most of my life to ensure that his family had everything they could ever have wanted. My dad went out of his way to try and make other people smile and feel good about themselves. He had a unique ability to get along with everyone. When people would tell him to have a good day, he’d reply, ‘You have a better one!’”

Pignataro was a member of the East Rockaway Veterans of Foreign Wars, having served as a sergeant in the Air Force from 1964 to 1968. He also joined the Monsignor Walsh/St. Raymond’s Knights of Columbus in East Rockaway, and was an honorary member of the East Rockaway Fire Department, where he dressed as Santa Claus for the children during the holidays.

Beginning in 1993, he was the village’s recreation director for 12 years. He expanded summer and fall basketball programs, adult travel trips and movie and game nights, as well as programs for children with special needs.

“One event that Frank enjoyed most, and that he was most proud of during his time as East Rockaway recreation director, was the PALS program he created for people with special needs,” Dorothy said. “Their get-togethers would include parties with food, dancing and games. My sister, Joan, was his inspiration for this program. He really always wanted everyone to be included. He wanted everyone to feel special.”

In September 2015, Pignataro was named director of the village’s Senior Center on James Street, a job that fit him especially well. In an interview with the Herald, he said of the appointment, “I find myself an easygoing guy. I feel I can relate to most people my age and older. They should come and see [the center] — I try to make them feel comfortable and relaxed, and see what their interests are.”

East Rockaway Mayor Bruno Romano said that he and Pignataro were both in the freight business, and had worked together with mutual clients.

“When Frank had accepted the position of senior activities director, I was overjoyed,” Romano said. “Knowing the way Frank takes on a job, I was without a doubt convinced that he would take the senior center and move it to the next level. Frank was a visionary person, and was always thinking of the future of our senior center. He would propose a program, and I would tell him to take the ball and run with it. I’ll certainly miss my dear friend, and the tremendous job he has done in our community.”

“The outpouring of support from the community has been unbelievable,” said Frank’s son Frank. “We are so proud of our father, and like my brother Matthew said in his eulogy, we only hope that the six of us combined can be the man that he was.”

“He was and always will be the love of my life,” Dorothy added. “What more can I say?”

Pignataro is also survived by his sister, Phyllis LaSelva, and her husband, Tony. Another sister, Angelina Laidlaw, died last year. Other survivors include his son Daniel and his wife, Patty; his son Anthony and his wife, Daniela; Matthew’s wife, Patty; his son Dominic and his fiancée, Jennifer; and his son Andrew and his girlfriend, Kimberly. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren, Emily, Daniel, Luke, Cora, Arianna, Ava, John and Matthew.

Visitation was at Donza Funeral Home, and a funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Raymond’s on Nov. 29. Pignataro was interred at Calverton National Cemetery.

Donations can be made to Camp Anchor, 630 Lido Blvd., Lido Beach, N.Y. 11561.