8 The QUEE NS Courier • OCTOBER 13, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Photos by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS Bayside street renamed for beloved softball coach BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 Underneath a cloudless sky and upon the fields he loved so dearly, dozens gathered at the Bayside Athletic Field on the morning of Oct. 7to remember and honor Stephen Piorkowski — the admired coach and physical education teacher at Bayside High School (BHS) who succumbed to cancer ONSITE DOCTORS • EYE EXAMS • CONTACTS • 1 HOUR SERVICE • VISION PLANS ACCEPTED • SUNGLASSES • LOWEST PRICES WE ARE A GVS & DAVIS VISION PROVIDER Fall Savings BAY TERRACE SHOPPING CENTER 211-51 26 AVENUE • BAYSIDE, NY 11360 718.631.3699 *FREE Eye Exam with the purchase of glasses. Contact Lens Exam and fitting add’l. *See store for details. $9999 NO-LINE BIFOCAL EYEGLASSES Includes: EYE EXAM, No-Line Bifocal Lenses & Frame Select frame with select clear plastic no-line bifocal lenses\ +/- 4 sph., 2cyl. up to 2.50 add. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. Offer valid at this location only. Expires 10/27/16 $99 bestof.qns.com VOTE FOR US A QUEENS COURIER AND QNS.COM CONTEST DISPOSABLE CONTACTS Includes: EYE EXAM, 2 Boxes of Lenses Clear Soft brand clear sphericalLenses/ *Contact lens fitting additional. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. CHILDREN’S EYEWEAR 2 Pairs for $99 QC Expires 10/27/16 QC QC QC Expires 10/27/16 QC $9999 2 PAIRS OF EYEGLASSES Includes: EYE EXAM Select frames with clear plastic, single vision lenses+/- 4 sph., 2 cyl. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details Expires 10/27/16 $100 OFF Buy 1 Pair of Prescription Glasses and GET 2nd Pair FREE Includes: EYE EXAM. (From select group) Some restrictions apply. See Store for details. In stock items only. Includes polycarbonate lenses, plastic and metal frames. Select frames with clear plastic single vision lenses +/- 4 sph, 2 cyl. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this locationonly. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans, or packages. QC QC Expires 10/27/16 QC last year. “Today we stand with the Piorkowski family and the Bayside High School community as we honor and celebrate the life of a father, a friend, a coach, a leader who had a tremendous impact on everyone he had ever known,” Councilman Paul Vallone said. Piorkowski was diagnosed in 2012 with multiple myeloma, an aggressive form of cancer that broke his neck and damaged his spine. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Piorkowski continued to coach throughout his three-year-long battle with cancer, which ended last year on Feb. 18. He was 54 years old. Piorkowski is survived by his wife, Susan Hayes, and his daughter, Katherine. “Bayside High School has always been a big part of our family,” Hayes said. “Stephen loved teaching in this beautiful and desirable school in such a wonderful community. He enjoyed coming to work each day to see what adventure was in store for him. He was determined to make a difference.” Hayes remembered watching their daughter Katherine grow up on the field with her father. At the age of 2, she could be seen on the baseball diamond learning how to run the bases. All those years of training went to good use: Katherine won three consecutive NYS Catholic High School championship titles in a row with the girls softball team at Kellenburg High School on Long Island and is now a successful pitcher for NYU. Hayes also spoke fondly about Piorkowski’s bold personality, saying one of the things she has missed the most is his “quick wit and mischievous sense of humor.” “He could be counted on to initiate ice cream or food fights with his players after games,” Hayes said. “He would come home at least once a year with hints of chocolate cake stuck in his long hair.” “You know how people say, ‘That person’s a character’?” BHS Principal Michael Athy added with a laugh. “Well, Steve was a character and a half.” After the ceremony, attendees walked over to the corner of 32nd Avenue and 204th Street and watched the unveiling of Stephen Piorkowski Memorial Way. Later, Hayes and some former BHS student athletes were asked to talk about the coach’s championship wins within the BHS athletic program. One player laughed, raised her arms and asked with a grin, “Which one?” Crowd gathered prior to the unveiling of Coach Stephen Piorkowski Way in Bayside. Photo:File/QNS Stephen Piorkowski
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