Donard Anthony Pranzo

Donard Anthony Pranzo - beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, educator, coach, and friend - passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 23rd surrounded by family and love.

Born on August 17, 1934, in Woodside, Queens, Don lived a life defined by faith, service, and devotion. A graduate of Hunter College (Class of 1955), he was offered his first teaching position at Miller Place High School on July 26th - the feast of Saint Anne - a fitting symbol of divine timing for a man whose calling was education. For 36 years, he taught and coached with unwavering dedication, shaping generations of students and athletes with his wisdom, humor, and compassion. During those years, he earned two master's degrees at night from Columbia University many times, leaving the field to drive immediately into the city. He also recognized a challenge that extended far beyond his own classroom - one that faced all physical education teachers: how to include and inspire students unable to participate physically. His response was visionary, Academic Sportfolio - a curriculum that transformed physical education into a study of health, movement and the human body, accessible to all.

Teacher, coach, entrepreneur. Following his retirement, he was hand-selected to oversee the Fieldhouse at New York's sports mecca Chelsea Piers and later returned to coaching from 2003–2018, at times teaching the children of his former students and even his own grandchildren. His influence spanned decades, his reach immeasurable.

Don's life was guided by steadfast faith and quiet strength. He was devout, scholarly, ethical, kind, and humble - a man whose love was expressed not in words but in steadfast presence. His acts of kindness rippled quietly through the community, forming a fabric of generosity and care that only fully revealed itself over time. He had an uncanny wit, a gift for storytelling, and an endless curiosity as a reader of history and current events. He could fill a room with laughter or command it with a whisper.

To his family, he was simply "Papa Don," the heart of the home and the moral compass of every generation. In 1964, he married Beth Gallup, his partner in life and love for more than six decades. Together they raised seven children, lovingly dubbed The Magnificent 7: Jennifer Wellesley Rodecker Ornstein (Alec), Anne Rolica Savino Cuddington (Chris), Matthew Donard Pranzo, (Christy), Gregory Royal Pranzo (Lizzie), Luke Anthony Pranzo (Nikki), Marielena "Malena" Pranzo Pullen (Jay), and Elizabeth Regina Polizzi (Mike).

He is also survived by his grandchildren Matthew Rodecker, Ari Rodecker Neidhart (TJ), Megan Rodecker (Frankie), Olivia Pranzo, Luciano Savino, Eve Pranzo, AvaCaroline Morgan (Isaac), Madeleine Pranzo, Thomas Pranzo, Lily Pranzo, Jack Pranzo, Tillman Pranzo, Gia Polizzi, and Nick Polizzi, as well as great-grandchildren, Mariana & Tommy Neidhart.

He cultivated deep friendships, cherished his family ties with Thomas Gallup and Jean Congregane, Perry and Kathy Gallup, Donald & Eileen Daly and earned the devotion of countless students and athletes, to name a few, Mary Dernbach, Laura Borsman, Barbara Lanci, Greg Sicari, Joe DiBenedetto, Doug Munch, Jason Feinberg, Dean Bowrosen, Diane Bidderman, Glenn Niedzwieski, Mike DelGiudice, Paul Darrigo, Scott Einhorn, Chris Grady, Joey Waltz, Jim Margraff, Bob Rapp and Peter Mott.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Anthony and Bertha Pranzo, his beloved granddaughter MeriElle Beth Savino and his treasured friends, Dan Tobin and Bob Robinson.

Don's life embodied grace, humor, intellect, and faith in equal measure. His voice ("Pranzo Here") - once booming in the halls of Miller Place - will echo forever in the lives he shaped.

A celebratory wake will be held at Bryant Funeral Home (411 Old Town Road, East Setauket, NY) on Tuesday, October 28th from 4-8 PM. A funeral Mass at Infant Jesus Catholic Church (110 Myrtle Ave, Port Jefferson, NY) will take place on Wednesday, October 29th at 9:45 AM. The burial will follow at Pinelawn Memorial Park (2030 Wellwood Ave Farmingdale, NY). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hope House Ministries- www.hhm.org

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the earth." – Exodus 20:12

Rest in peace, Papa Don. You were, and will always be, a "good, great, grand" man.

Newspaper – Donard Anthony Pranzo (d. 10/23/25)

Born on August 17, 1934, in Woodside, Queens, Don lived a life defined by faith, service, and devotion. He graduated from Hunter College in 1955 and began his teaching career at Miller Place High School, where he spent 36 years shaping generations of students and athletes with wisdom, humor, and compassion. Don earned two master's degrees from Columbia University and pioneered the Academic Sportfolio curriculum, making physical education accessible to all. After retiring, he managed the Fieldhouse at Chelsea Piers and continued coaching until 2018, often teaching the children and grandchildren of his former students.

Guided by faith and quiet strength, Don was devout, humble, and kind, touching lives through acts of generosity and care. He was known for his wit, storytelling, and curiosity about history and current events. To his family, he was "Papa Don," the heart and moral compass of the home. Married to Beth Gallup since 1964, they raised seven children, "The Magnificent 7," and he is survived by 15 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, and many loved ones. He was preceded in death by his parents, granddaughter MeriElle Beth Savino, and dear friends Dan Tobin and Bob Robinson.

Don's legacy of grace, humor, intellect, and faith lives on in those he touched. A wake will be held at Bryant Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 28th, 4-8 PM, and a funeral Mass at Infant Jesus Catholic Church on Wednesday, October 29th, at 9:45 AM, followed by burial at Pinelawn Memorial Park. Donations in his memory may be made to Hope House Ministries (www.hhm.org).