Picture above: (left to right) Santo Endrizzi, Mary Tokarski president of the American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) and Phil Franzese – June 5, 2013
Picture left: Phil Franzese at La Campagnola Restaurant Commack, NY in 2010.

Philip Franzese passed away Friday, August 26, 2016 at the age of 86.  He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and was a long time resident of Garden City, NY where he built the house that he and his wife Annette raised their four children.  He was a successful construction contractor and real estate operator for sixty years.  He is predeceased by his wife Annette, his parents Frank and Fannie, and his siblings Mary and Nicholas.  He is survived by his sister Josephine, his children Denise, Frank, Tina and Philip as well as his six grandchildren.  He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather.

Phil had many passions in life, but his oldest passion was the accordion, which he loved and played for over seventy years.  He began studying the accordion as a young boy in the early 1940’s at the State School of Music (1397 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY) where instructions were given for twenty-five cents ($.25) a lesson.  He performed with his music school at Carnegie Hall and also the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

He fell in love with the instrument and was eventually, in his adult years, a member of the Accordion Pops Orchestra, which at that time was conducted by noted accordionist Danny Desiderio, appeared in an off Broadway musical the “White Widow” in 2007 and in August of 2010 he became one of the original members of the Long Island Accordion Alliance (LIAA) which first met in Commack, NY and had been an active member ever since.

Phil’s passion for music, gardening and people, intersected every summer when he would host his “Annual Garden Party” where he enjoyed sharing his gift of music and flowers with his family, friends and business associates.

If you had the pleasure of knowing Phil, you were captivated by his love for life. He truly touched the hearts of all who knew him. He was a very special person.

Picture below: (back left to right) Bob LaBua, Dominic Karcic, Greg Zukoff, Joe Campo
(front left to right) Santo Endrizzi, Phil Prete, Phil Franzese – June 5, 2013