Union president James DeMarzo dies at 62

If someone called at 3 a.m. needing assistance, James DeMarzo wouldn't hesitate to get in his car, no questions asked. As president of the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Union and a former driver for the New York Daily News, DeMarzo enjoyed lending a hand.

"Whether it was his son or someone at work, it didn't matter -- if they were in need, he was there to help them," said his son Terence Henry DeMarzo, of Sayville.

DeMarzo, of Long Beach, died March 1 from an apparent stroke while working late in the union office. He was 62.

He grew up in Bayport and graduated from Bayport-Blue Point High School, where he excelled at baseball and basketball, his family said.

As he raised his own family in Sayville, DeMarzo coached Little League and cheered on his sons as they played football and hockey. Through sports, he tried to teach important lessons about teamwork and treating others with respect, said another son, Keith DeMarzo, of Bayport.

A third-generation member of the union, DeMarzo began working as a driver for wholesaler Woodhaven News Co. in 1968.

In 1970, he became a driver for the Daily News, a position he kept for 21 years before becoming a business agent for the union.

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For the last 20 years, his family said, DeMarzo worked his way up through various executive positions, never losing an election. Last May, he was elected president.

In his free time, when he wasn't watching his beloved Yankees and Rangers, DeMarzo devoured history books, especially those focused on the Civil War.

DeMarzo treasured living near the water, Terence DeMarzo said, and was at the beach every day, walking on the boardwalk or sitting in the sand reading a book.

"It could be Feb. 1 or July 1 -- he was out on the beach trying to get some sun," he said.

A devoted family man, DeMarzo was "absolutely enamored" with granddaughters Kallie Rose, 4, and Lily Jaymes, 1, said Keith's wife, Tricia.

He would collect seashells with them and put them in buckets to take home, she said. If there was a particular toy they wanted, DeMarzo would scour stores and websites.

"They lit up a part of him that had never been touched before," she said.

In addition to his sons and granddaughters, DeMarzo is survived by his mother, Veronica of Setauket; and sisters, Diane Bane of Setauket and Barbara Presogna of Brentwood, Tenn.

DeMarzo's funeral was held last week at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Setauket. Burial was in the church cemetery.