A Truly Sad Day in East Meadow

Dear Blog Readers,

I hope that you do not mind that with today’s blog, I skip my normal jovial, smart-alecky and off centered story, joke or rant and write one that is a bit more solemn than I have ever written. That is because that a few days ago I learned of the truly untimely passing of a great friend, neighbor and role model- Mr Frank Mazza.

I am not sure if all of you know who Frank was and what he meant to the town of East Meadow, but I am sure that if you ever met him  you would, like myself, remember him fondly. He was a great guy all the way to the core of his soul, filled with good spirits and greater intentions.

I first met Frank years ago when my son had become newly enamored with the sport of lacrosse my a middle school student teacher (NCAA Champion goalie) Brian Soper. Brian recommended that my son join a youth lacrosse league at the end of the school year. A neighbor who is also a physical education teacher recommended that we speak with the EM PAL and Frank. My son was a raw novice and only had a borrowed lacrosse stick.

Frank was friendly and outgoing and assured us that my son would not only learn the sport from the bottom up, but that he would enjoy every moment if he was willing to put in the effort. Frank then took my son for a brief walked and talked to him about lacrosse. When they returned, my son was so excited that we signed him up for the week long clinic (and later the team itself ) on the spot.

Frank quickly paired my son with Coach James Skinner, which he called a match made in heaven. And so my son’s love of the game began and was nurtured like a seedling on a grassy Eastern Meadow.  

The following year, we signed up my son again. However on the first day of the clinic at East Meadow High School, not 15 minutes into it,  a boy tripped my son during a drill and my son landed on an errant sliver of glass on the field, cutting his knee badly. Frank immediately sprung into action. He had a fireperson and nurse from the snackbar administer first aid and another person call my wife to return immediately.

Shortly after I arrived, took my son to the local hospital and he got stiches in his knee. When we returned the next day to get the gear we had left in haste, my son told Frank that he was going to quit lacrosse. But Frank would not hear of it! He gave my son a pep talk and put his to work as a score keeper and penalty clock timer for the clinic  and did this for all the days of the clinic. And when the stitched were removed he encouraged my son to play with a huge kneepad to cover the raw scar. My son looked up to Frank and Frank liked my son’s work ethic.

And my son was not a unique case. Frank was wise and caring of all the peole he came into contact with. I heard that the following year, just before the clinic , Frank arrived early to look for and remove and dangerous item that might be on the field. Years later when he was a player at EMHS,  Frank encouraged my son to be a youth coach for the PAL lacrosse clinics.

My son had done some similar things while with the LI Lizards Pro lacrosse team and Frank wanted help to fan the flames of the spark he saw in my son. And each year after that, even while he was a player at college, Frank welcomed my son as a youth clinic coach. Frank applauded my child, saying that he was a natural teacher, both on and off the field. 

This year when my son encouraged me to become a PAL youth lacrosse coach, and share my accumulated knowledge, Frank welcomed me with open arms. Frank loved the fact when two East Meadow PAL boys were chosen as permanent ballboys for the LI Lizards team.

But that was Frank’s way, both on and off the field too. Frank was pleasant , cheerful  and friendly whether you say him at the mall, the library, supermarket or even pumping gas in his car. He would just smile, complete the task at hand  and not complain.

I am deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy as well as my family and other friends and past coaches. Those of you that knew Frank can understand the heaviness in our hearts, while the rest of you can only empathize and imagine.

Frank Mazza was, in my opinion, a prince among men and will be sorely missed. God bless!