Community mourns loss of deputy

Milano, left, Nc Shoa and Mike Levine.

Melinda Milano, from left, Frank Milano and Tara Duffy.

Hundreds of community members attended the services for Milano, including several officers from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department.

Susan Grieco/Herald

Services for Frank Milano, who was killed in a crash on the Southern State Parkway on Dec. 13, were held last weekend at the Krauss Funeral Home in Franklin Square and St. Boniface Church in Elmont. The funeral took place at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury on Dec. 17.

Susan Grieco/Herald

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Deputy Frank Milano’s friends remember him best for his uncanny impressions of characters from Italian-themed movies like “Good Fellas” and “The Godfather.” He was easygoing, loved making people laugh and didn’t let himself or others get bogged down by stressful situations, despite a career that was full of them.

For the past seven years, Milano, 36, of Elmont, was a corrections officer in the General Housing Security Unit of the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow — a job he loved and was proud to do, according to friends. At 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 13, while driving home after a tour of duty, he was killed in a single-vehicle accident on the Southern State Parkway.

He was the father of two children, Melinda, 14, and Anthony, 8.

According to the Nassau County Sheriff Officers Association, Milano was headed west on the parkway when his car veered off the highway and into a wooded area near Peninsula Boulevard, hitting a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is being investigated by the New York State Police.

Born to Italian immigrants in 1975, Milano lost his father when he was young. Being Italian was always a big part of his life, and he adored Italian food and films.
“He loved to laugh and have fun,” remembered Pete Alborano, 47, a longtime friend and coworker. “He took the edge off, and he was a good-hearted guy. If he had an issue, personal or on the job, he wouldn’t hesitate to sit down to talk to you.”

Alborano, of Westbury, said he met Milano six years ago, on Alborano’s first day at the Correctional Center, after he transferred from the New York City Department of Corrections. Not only did Milano make Alborano feel comfortable in his new position, but, Alborano said, he befriended him immediately and established a connection with him. “Being Italian-American, like Frankie, on my first day he heard my accent and he just gravitated toward me,” he said. “He made the transition for me easier.”

The two became good friends. “Out of a thousand workers, he was the closest person to me,” Alborano said. “We had a special bond from day one.”