High school closed for funeral
Students returned to school last Thursday from Easter break to learn of the sudden death of James Robert Taranto, science teacher of 32 years. His passing left hundreds in mourning, forcing Malverne High School to close its doors April 23 as funeral services were held.
Taranto, 54, died of a sudden heart attack on Wednesday, April 18, the last day of Easter break, district officials said. Described as an extremely patient man with a passion for teaching, Taranto served as student activities advisor and acting science coordinator at Malverne High School, and was scheduled to retire on June 30.
B. Allen Mannella, the district's new superintendent who began his first day of work the following morning, said he informed high school staff of Taranto's passing. An announcement was made by the principal to students, and a moment of silence followed.
"It was a sad, sad day," said Sally Lynch, special education teacher at Malverne High School and close friend of Taranto's for 22 years. She and her husband Roger moved down the block from Taranto's family about a year and a half ago, and were first on the scene when they heard he had collapsed. "We were supposed to come over for dinner that night," she said.
Mannella ordered the school to be closed Monday after nearly all of the teachers and about 100 students said they wanted to attend the funeral.
"I realized the difficulty in obtaining enough substitutes to cover the shortage of staff. I considered the safety of the remaining student body and the emotional shape teachers and students would be in after returning from the service, and I was sensitive to that," Mannella said. Several staff members were simply too distraught to attend the services, he added.
Taranto was actively involved in a wide range of extracurricular activities, including the student council and government. He served as advisor and photographer for the yearbook committee, and formerly coached junior high baseball and soccer. He continued to keep scores and statistics for the boys' basketball team.
Memorial services were held Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, at C.S. Bartholomew & Son Funeral Home of Bellmore. Over 500 students, fellow faculty members and district officials gathered for the Monday morning funeral service at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of North Bellmore. Friends and colleagues who had flown in from across the county offered heartfelt words in his memory.
"As you can see, he was more than just a teacher," said Jesse Freeman, a student of Taranto's, pointing to the crowd outside the church on Monday.
"He taught without teaching," said students Tim Comer and Christine Fan, who described Taranto's teaching methods as stemming from student's questions and resulting classroom conversation, while students completed their textbook studies at home.
"He was just a fun guy, the busiest man I ever knew, and he always had a smile on his face," said special education teacher Dan Gibbons, a 25-year veteran of the high school, and former girls' basketball coach.
Taranto was born in Copaigue, New York, and was raised in Bellmore, where he graduated from Mepham High School in 1964. He went on to attend Southampton College, where he graduated with a teaching degree in 1968. He landed a job in the Hauppauge School District, where he taught at Hauppauge High School for two years before serving 18 months in the U.S. Army, nine of them in Vietnam. He held several master's degrees from Adelphi and Long Island University at C.W. Post. In Malverne, he worked roughly eight years at Howard T. Herber Middle School before moving to the high school.
Taranto lived in Bellmore with his wife Carol, a nurse for the Long Beach School District, to whom he had been married for 32 years. He is also survived by his 29-year-old daughter Lisa and son-in-law Pablo; and his 26-year-old son Scott and daughter-in-law Selina; his mother Irene, and three grandchildren: Fischer, Emma, and Noah.
Taranto's daughter Lisa spoke fondly about her father from his Bellmore home.
"Each person was touched by my dad. He made everyone feel important," she said. She described her father as someone who absolutely loved the outdoors, with a passion for photography, boating in New York, and traveling cross-country with his family.
Lynch, who met Taranto while he worked at the middle school, described him as an avid boater and water-skier who liked to camp at his favorite lake in Connecticut. "We used to boat along the south shore, and watch the fireworks every year," she said. Both families often shared dinner and their love of motorcycling, and had just traveled to Florida together during Easter break. "Jim loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was intense and an awful lot of fun, a man who loved his toys, and devoted himself to his family," Lynch said.
"His job as an educator gave us the opportunity to share our summers together as a family, and I am grateful for that," Lisa said. "He will be deeply missed by all of us."
Taranto was cremated in a private ceremony. His family requested that donations be made to the American Heart Association or the Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf and Early Childhood Center.
