Andrew J. Fanizzi Jr.

Former East Marion resident Andrew J. Fanizzi Jr. of Henderson, Nev., passed away Jan. 20, 2014, after a valiant struggle with diabetes and congestive heart failure. He was 81. 

He was born Feb. 13, 1932, in Queens to Andrew and Alvina Fanizzi. Over the years, he resided in Briarwood, Queens; East Marion; Prosper, Texas; and Georgetown, Texas. He attended and graduated from Public School 3 in New York City and Long Island City High School.

Andrew’s life of public service included two years with the New York City Police Department and 20 years with the New York City Fire Department. While still in the fire department, he attended Hunter College and Bellevue School of Nursing and became a registered nurse, working for 20 years at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, Jamaica Hospital in Queens and Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport as an operating room nurse.

While residing in East Marion, Andrew was elected several times as commissioner of East Marion Fire Department. He also served with the Prosper Volunteer Fire Department in Texas.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Eleanor (née Grewe); his son, Andrew Jay, and his wife, Darlene, and their children, Alixandre and Andrew, of Henderson; and his daughter, Caryl Lee Piekarski, her husband, Bo, and their children, Mikaela, Basia and Jenna, of Thousand Oaks, Calif.

A celebration of Andrew’s life will be held Feb. 22, 2014, at 1:30 p.m. at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Henderson.

Memorial donations may be made to Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 2 N. Pecos Road, Henderson, NV 89074 or the Uniformed Firefighters Association Widows’ and Children’s Fund, 204 East 23rd St., New York, NY 10010.

This is a paid notice.