Longtime volunteer E. Minicozzi, 70, dies

The resume of Edward M. Minicozzi Sr. ran so deep that it could have been mistaken for a service directory.

There was the Rotary Club, for which he was a district governor and Locust Valley chapter leader; Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce (past chairman); Bayville Fire Co. (past president); and Oak Neck Athletic Council, St. Gertrude's Church Finance Committee and Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club (board member for them all).

And yet Minicozzi -- who died May 10, at age 70 -- was known as much for volunteer work beyond Nassau's North Shore. In recent years, the Lattingtown resident traveled to Southeast Asia after the deadly tsunami, to Louisiana post-Hurricane Katrina and to San Diego following destructive wildfires.

"The consummate community servant," said Joe Ryan, a friend and current president of the Locust Valley Rotary. "He was a very successful businessman, but he didn't devote himself to material things."

Minicozzi founded General Utilities, the home heating oil company, its sister alarm and monitoring company, General Security, as well as Cozy Real Estate.

He also served as past president of the Oil Heat Institute of Long Island and Empire State Petroleum Association.

Golf, traveling and boating (he called his vessel "My Way") were hobbies, but ask those who knew him for memories of the man, and they invariably return to some sort of philanthropy.

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Friends said it's hard to distinguish one cause above others, but because of Minicozzi's own hearing loss, helping the deaf was always a priority. For years, he gave to Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, installed oil tanks at its facilities and hired former students.

"Here was a regular guy who cared deeply about people," said Nancy Leghart, director of advancement for the Mill Neck Family of Organizations, which includes the school. "You always felt like a million dollars when you talked to him."

A signature community event, she added, was Minicozzi's annual New Year's Day party at his home.

Minicozzi is survived by his wife, Myrtle; three children, Edward Jr., Kenneth and Stephen; six grandchildren; and two sisters, Catherine Staab and Mary Jane Kogler. He is predeceased by brothers Alexander and John.

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A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Gertrude Roman Catholic Church in Bayville. Burial will follow at Locust Valley Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Rotary Gift of Life Foundation, P.O. Box 650436, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365.