Obituary of Michael Bilello

Michael Austin Bilello, 67, Patriot, Retired Marine Veteran Michael Austin Bilello, 67, a longtime resident of Oceanside, NY passed away May 26 at Mercy Medical Center, Rockville Centre, NY after a three-week illness with Coronavirus. Born March 16, 1953 in Brooklyn, he moved to Oceanside with his family in 1960. He is survived by siblings, Joseph of Highland Park, NJ, Joanne Critelli of Huntington, NY, Darrell of Moriches, NY, Marguerite Correia of Mattapoisett, MA, Deirdre Dutka of Valley Forge, PA, Sharon Utegaard of Tucson, AZ, James of Lynbrook, NY, Regina of Dix Hills, NY and John of Port Jefferson Station, NY and by 22 nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Marguerite (Flaherty) Bilello in 1995 and Salvatore Joseph Bilello in 2015. He was a parishioner of St. Anthony RC church in Oceanside and a member of the Knights of Columbus there. He was a member of the Marine Corps League and the Evans Road Crew. He is a graduate of Oceanside High School and Grove City College. After graduating college, he entered US Marine Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA and served for three years active duty with the 3rd Marine Division in such locations as Marine Corp Air Station Iwakuni, Okinawa and 29 Palms. Following his active duty, he served in the Marine Reserves, rising to the rank of Major. He retired from the reserves in 2012. He had a career in industry, representing several paper manufacturing companies as a Sales Representative, relocating to Boston, Pittsburgh and Charlotte as his career advanced. After 9/11, Michael served for several years with the Transportation Security Administration at Kennedy Airport. He then served several years as a Court Officer with the NYS Supreme Court in Manhattan before his retirement in 2015. He worked for a short time at Bay Breeze Deli, in Bay Shore, NY until he developed “deli toe” and had to resign. He served for many years as an usher at Nassau Coliseum, Shea Stadium and Madison Square Garden where he forged lifelong friendships. An avid follower of sports, he was a Jets and Mets fan, but he also rooted enthusiastically for the college teams of his nieces and nephews, and for the hometown teams of the cities where he lived. His brothers often teased him for being a “fair weather” fan and having a trunk-load of hats, with no real allegiance to any one team. He enjoyed skiing, running to stay fit and in recent years walking the Long Beach boardwalk. A proud American, he was a fervent Patriot. He had a broad understanding of US history and took pride in staying informed of current events. A conservative, he took joy in needling his less-conservative relatives and friends, but always in a good-natured manner. Michael was a devoted son to his parents, brother to his siblings, and, most of all, he was an uncle with a constant presence in the lives of his 22 nieces and nephews. He was the uncle that every person wished they had, constantly on the go to attend First Communions, birthdays, graduations and weddings. He always knew what his nieces and nephews were up to and was glad to provide them advice, whether they wanted it or not. He could be heard telling them “you’re too young to know what you really want, so listen to your parents”. He was known to enjoy a Dewar’s scotch and a cigar on occasion, decked out in his “too short” shorts, “too tight” shirts and straw hat. In recent years he was a resident of Atria, Lynbrook, NY. Beyond what Michael accomplished and experienced in his lifetime, his greatest legacy is his demonstration of integrity, honesty, passion for life, and love of God, country and family. He will be sorely missed. Wake will be at Towers Funeral Home, in Oceanside, 9:30 – 11:30 AM, Monday, June 1. A noon Funeral Mass will be held at St. Christopher RC Church, Baldwin, NY. Interment will be at Calverton National Cemetery, NY. *We still must adhere to the CDC Social Distancing guidelines of no more than ten people in the facility at a time.