Obituary of Michael A. DeOrio

Michael DeOrio, a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and a true friend. Michael was born on March 16, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York to Carmine and Josephine DeOrio. He grew up in a large extended family and this led him to cherish, family values. His grandparents owned a house near 65th street and New Utrecht Ave, were he lived with his parents, uncles, aunts and many cousins. The memories he had of this home would often lead to him to passing the place where his house once stood and reminisces his early happy days. He attended Regina Paces and Saint Simon and Jude Catholic schools until the 8th grade. These early years were influenced by a Kentucky Dominican Nun named Sister Ann Francis. She endeared him for a love of the Church. He continued to be a part of the Saint Simon community while in High School by being part of the school confraternity. He made many friends that he considered being his best friends. This love for the Church and seeing the commitment of parish people to young people moved him to make the same commitment to the young people in the parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary. When the Sports Association was about to close, he commandeered adults and teens to keep the program alive. Today the program flourishes and has many volunteers that keep sports alive in the IHM Community. He also opened a teen center where young people had a safe place to go on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. He recruited parents, and older teens to supervise the program. He offered crafts, basketball and games to play. This allowed for a strong community sense of belonging. He was also influenced by an exceptional woman: Gabrielle Edwards. She was the Biology Chairperson at F.D.R High School. Mrs. Edwards was also a person who believed in helping the community and young people. She recruited Michael to be on the Executive Board of St Mary’s Church. As a result of his commitment to Mrs. Edwards, he also volunteered in giving free SAT courses to the youths of the Church. He became involved with the Joe Torre Little League Organization in Marine Park. Once again, the League was closing because of lack of parental involvement and Michael with a few other members took over the league. He spent many hours in many different capacities at the fields. He was: ground crew, coach, parent, league treasurer, executive board member, etc. I believe that Michael gets his strength and perseverance from watching his own Mother’s courage in fighting a losing battle with Cancer. He has gone through many heath issues himself, but always kept his spirits high and never wanted to give up. Michael loved to write poems on a daily basis. His love for education is evident by donating money to schools (private and public) to promote poetry. He also worked as a substitute teacher because of his love of education. Last year, a family reunion reunited family members who had not seen each other for over 30 years from the west coast to the east coast. He was so happy when many responded and reacted to his writings on Facebook of his Mother, Father, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, etc. While he expected about 95 people to attend the function, over 150 people attended. This was because of his ability to once again, getting people to participate in a belief he strongly believed in: FAMILY. After graduating from Brooklyn College, he worked at the IRS for over 35 years. After retirement he started a small tax practice. While working, Michael kept busy with his interests by attending Diocesan Classes and becoming a Eucharistic Ecclesial and a Youth Minister. He used the training to expand and improve the programs at IHM with the help of the Parish. He also taught CCD for many years. Immaculate Mary Church is honoring him on September 23, 2016 for his work in the Church and commitment to all young people everywhere. He said: “Why me? I didn’t do anything special!” He was selfless and never wanted acknowledgement for his good deeds. He will not physically be there, but his spirit will be there. Michael was currently married to his High School sweetheart, Josephine of 42 years. They have one son, Michael, who is married to Kimberly and have two wonderful children: Michael and Thomas. The love for the family is one of the most important things for Michael. Michael will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend who was kind, generous, very smart, sometimes crazy, someone who liked to make people laugh. In the motto of Xavier High School, he was: “A Man for Others.” In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: Make a Wish Foundation - Make-A-Wish® America 4742 North 24th Street, Suite 400-Phoenix, AZ 85016 www.wish.org and/or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 501 St Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 1-800-822-6344 , www.stjude.org