60 The QUENS Courier • BUZZ • january 29, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Anthony Mazzarella, owner of The Waterfront Crabhouse in LIC, dies BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@queenscourier.com @QueensCourier The owner of Long Island City’s Waterfront Crabhouse, Anthony Mazzarella, a boxing enthusiast and an avid fundraiser for people with cancer, died on Jan. 24. He was 77. Mazzarella opened the eatery, located at 2-03 Borden Ave., almost 40 years ago. It is known for its seafood dishes and walls decorated with boxing memorabilia. The LIC restaurant, housed in a building dating back to the 1800s, has made it through two disasters, each causing it to be closed for months. The first was a fire in 2009 and just two years ago the eatery was flooded by several feet of water after Hurricane Sandy hit the city. Mazzarella was also a member of the New York State Boxing Commission and the NY State Wine and Grape Foundation. He served as a member of the American Cancer Society and Queens Division, and he founded the Patty Fund for Childhood Cancer. He started an annual block party on the Fourth of July that raised thousands of dollars for cancer patients. Other events were held at the Crab House, all for the benefit of the American Cancer Society. Every year he would also host a Christmas party for kids with cancer. “He was a terrific man who really cared about his community and his neighborhood,” said Joseph Conley, former chairman of Community Board 2. “His contributions were special, as he was instrumental in Patty Fund for Childhood Cancer, just to name a few. He will be greatly missed.” Mazzarella was honored with the American Cancer Society’s St. George Medal, the highest and most prestigious award for outstanding service and leadership in the fight against cancer. Also, as a former boxer, Mazzarella started the Golden Mittens to use physical fitness as a way to keep children away from drugs. He is survived by his wife, Deanne, three children, two grandchildren and his siblings. Services will be held on Jan. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Pizzi Funeral House, located at 120 Paris Ave. in Northvale, N.J. A mass is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church at 120 Kings Highway in Tappan, in Rockland County. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the United Hospice of Rockland at 11 Stokum Lane, New City, NY 10956. Stuart Foster Sears, son of former city councilwoman, dies at 57 Stuart Foster Sears, who lived for many years in Jackson Heights and was an active member of the local Democratic party, having led numerous campaigns for his mother, Helen Sears, including two successful bids for the New York City Council, has died. He was 57. Sears worked as a mediator, executive trainer and educational consultant and led workshops for educational a d m i n i s t r a - tors throughout the country. Most recently he served as a p r o f e s s i o n a l coach for educational leaders and a supervisor for coaches in training through the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. His political work included serving for many years as an elected committeeman for the New York State Democratic Committee. He led successful New York City Council campaigns for his mother Meeting held to strengthen relationship between western Queens NYCHA residents and NYPD BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@queenscourer.com @QueensCourier Residents of NYCHA developments in western Queens came together last weekend to discuss strengthening relationships with the police officers assigned to protect them. The community gathered during a meeting on Jan. 24 organized by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Victoria Schneps, publisher of The Queens Courier, with members of the NYPD to go over resident concerns and ways to build communication between community members and police. “If we work together we’re going to be so much stronger,” Maloney said. “I think it’s important we come together and we try to figure out how we can make this city stronger because we’re only stronger when we’re together.” During the meeting, residents voiced problems such as more lighting, more community engagement and communication by police officers who patrol the areas, as well as support within the actual community between the older and younger generations. “We are thrilled to be able to participate in bringing people in the community together,” Schneps said. “That’s what we are about, that’s what community journalism is about. Making sure we are talking to each other, many times through the pages of our papers, but also in person.” Those present at the meeting at the Jacob Riis Settlement House, located at 10-25 41st Ave., within the Queensbridge Houses, included leaders from the Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Astoria and Woodside NYCHA houses. NYPD representatives included Captain Mark A. Simmons, the commanding officer of Police Service Area (PSA) 9, which patrols the Queensbridge Houses, and members of the 114th Precinct. “One of the things we have to do is when you see a police officer, thank them for their job, thank them for putting their lives on the line, thank them for going out on the streets to protect them,” Maloney said. “We have to show them that they are respected by people.” One resident of the Queensbridge Houses for 28 years, who goes by the name Sugaray, asked the officers available to show residents that they are more than just officers by coming by the neighborhood without uniforms. “Come out and just be part of the community, show that you are human,” he said. “When we can see that the people in uniform are human and we can connect on a human-to-human level, that’s what builds relationships, that’s how you can build unity in the community.” Simmons thanked the community for their support and said that by working together they will be able to get crime down. “The greatest thing for you guys to know is that we support you and you support us and that’s the bond that we have here in PSA 9,” Simmons added. “I am very proud to be here and I am very grateful that we are working together in the manner in which we are.” THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano Residents of NYCHA developments in western Queens came together last weekend to discuss strengthening relationships with the police officers assigned to protect them. in 2000 and 2004. Sears was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Jackson Heights, where he attended the Garden School. He earned a BA in communications from Queens College and a masters in contemplative psyc h o t h e r a p y from Naropa University in Boulder, Colo. Sears died on Jan. 24 following a yearlong battle with cancer. He is survived by Yvonne Daza and their two daughters, Aurora and Isabella Sears; his brother, Todd Sears; his sister, Alexis Sears Pochna; and his mother, Helen Sears. A memorial service is scheduled for Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of All Souls, 1157 Lexington Ave. in Manhattan. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the American Cancer Society.
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