By Hector Flores
³He came to me after his junior varsity year and asked for my thoughts about his chances of making it to varsity, and I told him what he needed to improve on,² Abruscato said. ³After that he went home and built a baseball hitting station.² By his senior year, when Clarke won the state championship, Buffalino had become one of the team¹s top hitters.
Abruscato added that Buffalino went on to play baseball at Nassau Community College, where he was recently named captain of the team. ³He went from a borderline varsity player to state champion, and now captain of his college team,² said Abruscato, who was shocked to hear that Buffalino had died as a result of a car accident on Jan. 24.
According to police, Buffalino was driving a 2003 Nissan 350Z east on Stewart Avenue at around 12:30 p.m. that day when he hit a tree at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Land Lane. John Boyle, dean of students at Clarke and Buffalino¹s former football coach, called Buffalino¹s death a shock to the entire community. ³Our best wishes and prayers go out to the family,² Boyle said. ³It¹s just such a tragic loss.²
Leon Campo, deputy superintendent of the East Meadow School District, described Buffalino¹s death as a tragedy. ³He graduated two years ago and was a nice kid with a nice family,² Campo said. ³There are just no words to describe what his loss means to us.²
Helen Meittinis, president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue, called Buffalino an outstanding young man. ³Larry worked for the Carman Avenue Deli, which serves hot chocolate during our annual tree-lighting ceremony,² she said. ³This year he was the one that handed out the hot chocolate, and we had a lot of fun with him. He was just wonderful. Just another hole in our community.²
Remembering a joyous life
Abruscato, who gave Buffalino¹s eulogy at the Holy Family R.C. Church in Westbury last Saturday, said that although Buffalino¹s death is tragic, his life should be celebrated. ³You have to cry for his death, but when you think about his life you must stand up and clap or smile, and that is what he would have wanted.²
Abruscato called Buffalino a special person who was genuine and did everything from the heart. ³No matter how much time had passed, Larry would always greet me with a hug and a kiss,² he said. ³He was just genuine, one of the greatest people I have ever known and coached. He had the best laugh, and was dopey and funny.²
Maureen Bernardo, whose son John was one of Buffalino¹s best friends, agreed. ³He had an infectious smile and a laugh that was contagious,² she said. ³His friends cherished the ground he walked on and he always had their best interests at heart. He was a positive force, the core of the group he called his friends. He had a heart of gold, and anyone who met him or knew him felt genuine love. His laugh will live in our hearts forever, and any parent would have loved to have Larry as their son.²
Buffalino¹s mother, Rosemarie, called her son a warm and thoughtful person. ³He always thought about his friends, and if anyone was hungry, he would not hesitate to offer them food,² she said. ³When they would play football, they would tape the game and then come here and review it for hours.
³In the 19 1/2 years that I knew my son, he never gave me a problem. He always kissed me when he came into the house. When he went out, he was always home no later than 1:30 a.m. He had an innocence about him. He was terrible with directions, but he was a good boy and the light of my life.²
Buffalino was buried last Saturday at the Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his father, Larry Sr.; two sisters, Rosemarie and Theresa; three brothers, Anthony, Charles and Joseph; and grandparents Maria Buffalino and Joseph and Nancy Greco.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
