Michael J. Salerno
May 17, 1949 ~ May 24, 2021
Born in:
New York, NY
Resided in:
Wading River, NY
The family requests that everyone who comes to the funeral home wear masks as a precaution. The family thanks you for your cooperation.
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Services
Visitation: Wednesday, June 2, 2021 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Branch Funeral Home of Miller Place
551 Route 25A
MILLER PLACE, NY 11764
Second Visitation: Wednesday, June 2, 2021 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Branch Funeral Home of Miller Place
551 Route 25A
MILLER PLACE, NY 11764
Service: Thursday, June 3, 2021 10:00 am
Branch Funeral Home of Miller Place
551 Route 25A
MILLER PLACE, NY 11764
Interment: Wednesday, April 23, 2025 9:20 pm
Sea View Cemetery
233 North Country Road
MOUNT SINAI, NY 11766
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Charities
The family greatly appreciates donations made to these charities in Michael J. Salerno 's name.
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200
Manhattan Beach, CA
(310) 725-0025
https://www.pancan.org/
Sharon Greenspan. ( Sherry)
Thank u for being with us as long as you were.
You will live on in our hearts as long as they beat.
For over 50 years I was blessed to call you friend. Our memories together span all of our adult lives and then some. We will remember and treasure them for the rest of our lives.You define the term true friend and we will always be in your debt for helping us become the people we are today.
Sending our sincere & heartfelt condolences.
To my kid Brother, AKA knucklehead,
There must be a grand casino & golf course in Heaven so I know where you are right now. Save a place at the tables for me, kid , & you better be there to meet me when my time comes. I don’t want to run into some relative we never liked! I have loved you from the beginning to the very end and memories of you are a blessing to me.
Hugs,
Your sister, Pat, AKA Bunny
To my best friend in Maine. Funny, we were in Maine for 11 years and the best person we met was from New York. Loved to hear your view on things, especially history and politics. Only wish we met you earlier in life so we could have more memories together. Rest peacefully now my friend and we’ll catch you on the other side. And thank you for being a part of our lives.
Ashley Stuart, Shafat Family
Lillian Hartstein ( S. S. Silverberg cousin)
Marc Brodt & Sherry Mann and family
and my freinds, Roz Davis & Alana Chanod
Much love,
Rhona & Carl
He was the Best of the Best. He was loving, caring, generous, genuine and a most loyal friend to so many people who were lucky enough to know him. Our daughter is 49 and he was there with Harold when she was born, so yes we can say that he was surely one of a kind and one of the dearest friends we ever had. God Bless him and God Bless his wonderful loving family. Always and forever we will love you.
Dad, you are the BEST.
U you it are missed more than words.
Mike didn’t just talk the talk, but he walked the walk. He never looked for recognition for the endless ways he helped people as it was just what he did.
Mike, there will forever be a void in our hearts but your influence will guide us to be more like you…our world is better place for having walked these years beside you….your brother and sister of the heart…xoxo
Jim & Linda. Xoxo
Sending my love, thoughts and prayers to Leslie and her family. My family knew Leslie and her family about 50 years or so.
“The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one!” Seneca
So many good memories from so many years. Thoughts and prayers for Leslie, Matt, Stephanie and family.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Leslie, Matt, Heather, Stephanie, Luigi, Ava, Anna and Louie. May Mike’s legacy live on in your hearts.
Michael,
You knew who you were, your students recognized this, and so they followed your lead. You had the same effect on your colleagues.
Uncle Michael stood pretty tall. He always seemed like a giant to me growing up. Then again most people are pretty tall against me, being that my height is 5″2′. (I’m sure he would’ve liked that joke.) He had a smile and a warm laugh that always made me smile. Which was always under his signature bushy mustache that I’ll never forget, along with his signature phrase “hot tamale.”
My favorite thing as a kid was any time I was told I was visiting my Uncle Michael and Aunt Leslie. I loved spending time with them, mostly because they always made sure I knew they loved spending time with me, which meant the world to me as a kid. Not a lot of grown ups like spending time with kids. Out of all the times I spent with them and hung out or went places I’ll never forget when he took me to see the Hanna Montana movie. He smiled and took me and acted like he had a blast. I didn’t think about it much back then, but I think about it all the time now, as an adult. There’s no way a grown man would have wanted to see that movie. As I’m sure he was probably seriously uninterested in it. But without questioning if I wanted to see a different movie and without complaining he smiled and said okay without skipping a heart beat, because he knew that’s what I wanted. And that’s the type of man he was.
I also would like to talk about how amazing his ribs and wings were. I was so obsessed, especially with the ribs, that I went years without eating any other ribs, because nobody else’s could ever compare. I was just recently told by my Aunt that he didn’t make them often, but he made them every time I went to visit because he knew how much I loved them. It made me cry. I don’t think he knew how much I appreciated him. I miss him so much. He will forever hold a place in my heart and continue to live through the love he left behind in my memories, as well as those around him.
Rest easy, my great uncle, knowing that you carry on woven into the hearts and minds of so many who hold you dear.
Pat and John thank you. I’ve been thinking of you so much lately. Please email or call.
Love Leslie
It had been such a long time since we were roommates at Stony Brook. Unfortunately we did not get to spend time afterwards.
Joe Barbaccia
He had a shit hand dealt to him many times, but he rose above it each time. He was resilient. No matter what, he hung in there.
He sacrificed so much for his family. He turned down a promotion to be vice principal because it would take time away from his family. That was the kind of man my dad was. Raised two great kids and was the loving grandfather of three beautiful grandkids. He loved being with his grandkids. He was so good with them. He loved them so much, and they loved him.
One thing I’ll always remember about my dad is that he rarely complained. He suffered from chronic severe back pain his entire life. When his back would go out, and I’d say he should take something, or let someone else do the things around the house, he’d say “it’s only pain.” He’d rarely take anything stronger than tylenol. I wish I could be half as tough as he was.
Everyone who knew him, knows he was an incredibly talented teacher and professor. He taught thousands of students throughout his career. He mentored many of them, and became friends with many for years afterwards.
My dad had a great impact on kids sports on the north shore. That’s yet another lasting positive impact he’ll have on people. Along with some other fathers, my dad helped build what would become the North Shore Little League fields in Rocky Point. He taught little league there, and later in Shoreham. He was a great coach. I still have friends comment on how much fun they had, and how great of a coach he was.
My dad had great taste in music. My dad took us on three cross country family road trips, and he introduced us to his favorite music. CCR, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Band, Blondie, and countless other 60s and 70s classics. We visited national monuments and parks, battlefields, and beautiful places throughout the country. Going on those road trips are some of my happiest memories. I’ll always cherish them.
I’m going to miss him so much, for so many reasons. What I’m going to miss most is our long talks, about history, military matters, politics, or just life. He was the perfect sounding board. He gave the best advice. He never came right out and said “you should do this, or that.” He wasn’t that type of guy. He was almost like Socrates, he had a great way of getting you to figure out what you should do just by asking you questions. He only really ever gave his opinion if you explicitly asked for it. He was just a pleasure to talk to.
Dad, I’m always going to remember the random car rides to no where, playing Goldeneye and Perfect Dark against each other on the Nintendo 64, fishing, just reading a book next to each other, all of your great stories, playing cards and Suck Mud, playing chess or other board games, having a drink with you, all of the good advice, all of the times I asked you random history questions and you would go on a 45 minute lecture purely from memory. Your knowledge of history knew no bound. I love that I inherited a love of learning, of history, and of teaching from you.
I loved every minute I was with you. I’m going to miss you for the rest of my life.
I miss you so much dad. I lost a huge piece of my heart when we lost you.
I miss you terribly. I love you so much.
Life isn’t the same without you. I miss you so much.