By John C. O'Connell
Michael L. DeNicolo, a long-time village resident, code enforcement officer and Deputy Inspector of the Valley Stream Auxiliary Police, died on Sunday, March 17, at Winthrop-University Medical Center. He had a history of heart problems.
After a day of downpour, the sun shined bright last Thursday morning. An honor guard of uniformed auxiliary and other police officers flanked E. Jamaica Avenue in front of the church before and after the funeral service. They did so at the interment at St. John's Cemetery in Queens as well.
DeNicolo's grandson, Christopher, said he was so proud of his grandfather, especially when he saw so many people come to the wake on Tuesday and Wednesday, and to the funeral. "I was able to see the overwhelming impact he had on the world, especially this village he loved so much, this village that he bled, sweated and cried for."
Christopher said the lessons he most learned from his grandfather were honor, determination and dignity.
"When I joined the court in 1986," Village Justice Robert Bogle said at Moore Funeral Home the night before the funeral, "Mike was the first person to welcome me and help orient me to various procedures and situations I was going to confront.
"Mike had a way of defusing difficult situations in the court," Bogle said. "If a person came in with a parking ticket and complained there were no available parking spaces, Mike would pull them aside and talk to them for as long as it took to find them the right parking spot. After that the person would leave happy and even pay the $15 fine. That's a skill I still haven't developed," Bogle said.
"Mike was a great leader of the Auxiliary who relied on his years of expertise. I've never heard anyone say a negative word about Mike DeNicolo. And he truly liked everyone he met. That's a rare skill in this day and age," said Bogle.
At the funeral, former mayor John DeGrace eulogized his friend. "Only Mike could bring the sun out today," he said, bringing smiles to crying eyes. DeGrace spoke of how special "Uncle Mike" had been to his whole family. He said that he will always remember the class and generosity of the man, and how much "Mike's family was the light of Mike's life." The American Flag was always part of DeNicolo's always-neat attire, he added.
DeGrace quoted Will Rogers, who once said he never met a man he didn't like. "Well, in this case, I never met a man who didn't like Mike."
Ending, DeGrace said, "Mike DeNicolo will never be replaced and will always be remembered. We love you, Mike. God bless you."
