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By Shavana Abruzzo
Brooklyn Daily
Bensonhurst activist Fran Amorosa — a masterful Jill of all trades who could cater a community party for 400 at a moment’s notice in between raising a family and going to college — lost her battle with Parkinson’s disease on July 5. She was 66.
Amorosa — a 25-year member of the Bensonhurst West End Community Council — died peacefully at her home with her family by her side, friends said. She is survived by her husband Charles, her children Rose, Charles, and Dominick, her daughters-in-law Delia and Denise, and her six grandchildren.
The community champion’s reputation preceded her, longtime friends said.
“Fran’s name was fitting,” said Carmine Santa Maria, the Bensonhurst West End Community Council’s founder and president. “She was very loving.”
Santa Maria said that Amorosa was a tireless workhorse who rolled with the times: In 1979 she was the PTA president at PS 247, in 1986 she became a substance abuse prevention and intervention specialist at Seth Low Junior High School, in 1999 she obtained her master’s degree in teaching, and in 2001 she became a Seth Low guidance counselor, nurturing troubled students with creative outlets.
“Fran was very innovative, she made the children do things that brought out their talents,” said Santa Maria.
Amorosa’s industriousness was legendary at the civic group, he added, as was her swift acceptance and expert execution of any task assigned to her.
“Nothing was a problem for Fran,” Santa Maria said, recalling that Amorosa single-handedly planned the annual officer installation banquets, and once sent out a 500?piece mailing in one day. “She always said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’”
Amorosa’s enthusiasm for life was infectious, according to Joan Ribaudo, whom she succeeded as PTA president.
“Fran was like the Energizer Bunny,” Ribaudo said. “She was always into six or seven things at the same time, and she did them all well.”
Fran Amorosa will be laid to rest today at Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Long Island, following a 9:45 am funeral mass at St. Dominick Church on 75th Street and 20th Avenue in Bensonhurst.
Reach reporter Shavana Abruzzo at sabruzzo@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2529.