Lynbrook Community activist Joe LaRocco dies

Joe LaRocco died peacefully at home on April 29 at the age of 93.

Mary Malloy/Herald

Collage of Joseph LaRocco by Mary Malloy

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Joe LaRocco lived in Lynbrook for nearly a century. He remembered much of it as farmland, and once said that although the village itself had undergone many structural changes, the people were what made it a community.

LaRocco died peacefully at his Lynbrook home last Sunday. He was 93.

LaRocco was born in Brooklyn, near the Naval shipyard, and his family moved to Lynbrook when he was a baby. He graduated from Lynbrook High School in 1937, and five years later joined the Army. He fought in one of the most storied battles of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge.

After leaving the Army in 1945, LaRocco opened a public accounting firm at Merrick Road and Broadway in Lynbrook — where a Quiznos is now — and for the next six decades he was a key contributor to Lynbrook’s commercial district, serving on the Chamber of Commerce — once known as the Merchants’ Association — from 1945 until his death. Even into his 90s, he attended most of the village’s grand openings and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and he was always in search of new Chamber members.

“Joe will be sorely missed,” said Chamber President Bill Gaylor. “He loved the Chamber, and we loved him.” The organization honored LaRocco last year for his 50 years of service.

LaRocco met his future wife, Alberta Piazza, in 1950, and they were married at St. Rose of Lima In Rockaway Beach. He was out of the military and had just graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in accounting. The couple raised three daughters, Mary, Janine and Carol Anne, all of whom still live on Long Island.

Honoring his accomplishments, his longevity and his commitment to the community and his family, the Herald named LaRocco its 2010 Person of the Year.

“I have had the pleasure of sitting on the board of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce since 1986,” said Richner Communications Vice President of Sales Rhonda Glickman. “He was a tremendous help to me early in my career at the newspapers. He had such a great knowledge of Lynbrook and was a very intelligent man. He will be missed greatly.”