Agatino DiBella, 82, of Rockville Centre, a true 'Renaissance' man

   Long-time Rockville Centre resident Agatino “Tino” DiBella died on March 9 after a brief illness. He was 82.

Active in village politics, DiBella is credited with reinvigorating the Home Rule Party, and served as its president. He successfully ran the campaigns of Leonard Sandel for mayor and Jim Rochford and Sal Milano for trustees. He was also instrumental in managing Eugene Murray’s successful runs for office. During campaign season, he would turn the family’s 28-foot Winnebago into a campaign headquarters on wheels. He and his family would mount election placards on its sides and its front and rear bumpers and then park it in strategic locations to hand out helium-filled campaign balloons and literature. Although DiBella was a village trustee, filling in for a vacancy, he was never elected to that post. 

“Tony was a very fine man,” said former Mayor Eugene Murray. “He loved his family. He loved Rockville Centre. He was a very good businessman and had a very good reputation throughout the [auto repair] industry. One day when I was fire chief, I was all alone in the office when he rang the bell and came in. He said, ‘I’m going to run you for mayor,’ to which I laughed. That was in 1983. I lost the election by seven votes. So the next year I ran for village trustee and was elected. In 1987 I ran for mayor and was elected. Tony was behind everything. He loved politics and wanted to see things done right in the village. He’ll certainly be missed.”

“I dealt with him for many years, not only as an individual taking care of my trucks but our friendship developed to the point where he was my campaign manager when I ran for office,” said former Mayor Leonard Sandel. “He was very easy to talk to and to work things out with. His family is beautiful. I [officiated at the wedding of] his daughter and I was very proud of his son. We had a very close relationship — he stopped by a few weeks ago. During the building of the senior center, he gave much of his time to work on door frames and locks.”

As part of his extensive service to the village, DiBella also volunteered on the Housing Authority’s board of trustees — and became its chairman. He was particularly proud of other citizens committees he was instrumental in starting, including the Rockville Centre Beautification Committee and the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts. DiBella also pushed to bring cable television to the village and for a public pool at the Recreation Center.

For all his work on behalf of his community, he received a number of honors over the years — from the Rockville Centre Housing Authority; from the mayor and trustees acknowledging his service and from the Recreation Department for his work there, as well. DiBella also received an honor in recognition and “with grateful appreciation” for his 
service to his party and village and in testimony to his leadership of the Home Rule Party, and he also received a citation for his dedication and hard work from the St. Agnes varsity hockey team after its 1985-86 season.      

“He and I have been good friends for a long, long time,” said Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tony Brunetta. “He was an exceptional human being, a passionate family man who was devoted to his wife, children and grandchildren. He was also passionate about the Village of Rockville Centre — he got involved — anything to better the quality of life. I had the pleasure of seeing all his children and now his grandchildren here at the Recreation Center.

“Not only were we friends on a professional level,” Brunetta added, “we were also good friends on a personal level. He was humble and unassuming and made friends with many, many people. You met Tony for the first time and you had a friend for life who would help, no matter what.”

  Jeff Greenfield, also active with the Home Rule Party, remembered Tony as a friend, political mentor and above all, as a gentleman. “He taught me that after the election is over, no matter who wins, we should all work to the betterment of the village,” Greenfield said.

DiBella graduated from the Roosevelt Academy of Aeronautics and was offered enrollment at Caltech, but was unable to attend. He flew planes from what is now the Roosevelt Field Mall and he raced cars semi-professionally in the stock car circuit that eventually became NASCAR.  



   DiBella became a small business owner in Lynbrook. He owned and operated Dial Auto Service and Lynbrook Auto Leasing from his property at 214 Merrick Road. He went on to own a car dealership in Jamaica, Queens and commercial real estate properties in the Alpharetta, Ga. area.

Active in St. Agnes Cathedral, he also led business seminars for Molloy College students for several years.

DiBella loved golfing and was a member of the Rockville Centre Links. He was also an avid woodworker. In his basement is a state-of-the-art woodshop. He crafted custom pieces of furniture for every member of his family and he furnished and essentially remodeled many areas of his house, which has been featured on the village’s house tour. His masterpiece is the family den that had once been the garage. It became the focal point of the home and for the family.

DiBella and his wife of 52 years, Alicia, lived in Rockville Centre for 47 years, raising their four children in their Hamilton Road home. His son said that Sandel takes credit for introducing his parents. Sandel owned a business in Lynbrook where Alicia’s family also owned a business, and DiBella spent time in his late father-in-law’s store (Berton Tile), where he got to know his future wife. She was 17 and he was 28 when they met. Two years later they were married.

In addition to his beloved wife, DiBella leaves behind his daughter Danielle DiBella-Lenaway, son-in-law Dennis Lenaway, and grandchildren Alexandra and Spencer Lenaway; his daughter Regina McEnroe, son-in-law Gerry McEnroe and grandchildren Kate, Jack and Sarah McEnroe; his son Richard DiBella, daughter-in-law Whitney DiBella, and grandchild Peter DiBella; his daughter Mia Abell, son-in-law Kenneth Abell, and grandchildren Amelia, Susannah and Thomas Agatino Abell; and his surviving cousin, Rosalie Frasene.

DiBella lay in repose at Flinch & Bruns. A funeral Mass took place on Wednesday at St. Agnes Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, the family asked mourners to consider contributions in his name to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org — (800) 227-2345) or the Armed Forces Family Survivor Fund at (www.fallenheroesfund.org — (800) 340-HERO).

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