- Date Of Birth: May 10, 1922
- Date Of Death: January 14, 2013
- State: New York
Born on May 10, 1922 – Departed on January 14, 2013.
Nicholas “Nick” Garzilli, aka “Doc,” of Boynton Beach, Florida died peacefully at his home on January 14, 2013, from congestive heart failure. He was 90-years old. Nick, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 10, 1922, moved to the United States when he was two-years-old. He was also a former resident of the Bronx, New York; Bayamon, Puerto Rico; and Miami, Florida.
He was the oldest child of the late Francesco “Frank” Garzilli and Maria “Mary” Nasta Garzilli. Nick, whose birth name was Nunzio, was educated in public schools in New York City. He earned the nickname “Doc” as a youngster, for his tendency to give advice to everyone. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1939, and entered City College of New York, where he studied accounting and business. After the US entered World War II, he transferred to New York Maritime Academy at Fort Schuyler on the Throg’s Neck Peninsula in the Bronx. After graduation, he served as an engineer on board oil tankers that crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Europe to deliver fuel to the troops.
The war was still going on, and Nick was still serving in the Merchant Marines, when Nick married Anne Petecca, who had been his sweetheart for over three years, on August 4, 1945. After his service in the Merchant Marines completed, Nick became a stationary engineer. In 1962 he and his family moved to Puerto Rico, where he worked as the real estate vice president for Cushman & Wakefield. In 1980 he moved to Miami, Florida, where he became an independent real estate consultant until his retirement in 1994. Nick enjoyed many hobbies and activities. He was an avid sports fan, and loved the New York Giants, and was an avid golfer. He loved the water, swimming and boating. He enjoyed playing (and winning at) cards. He was a prankster and jokester, and enjoyed making people laugh and smile. He loved music, and enjoyed singing, which he did whenever the opportunity arose, even if he had trouble remembering the lyrics or the tune.
He was generous to the bone, and would do anything to help out a friend or a family member. Nevertheless, he loved bargains and discounts, and “free” was one of his favorite words. One of Nick’s favorite things to say to people upon parting, whether he had met someone for the first time, or when saying goodnight to one of his children on the phone was the following: “Do me a favor.” he’d say. “What’s that?” people would ask. “Take care of yourself.” He would always smile at that, for he thought it was a terrific thing to say. Nick was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Irene Carboni, as well as a great many relatives and dear friends. He is survived by his wife, Anne Garzilli; their daughter, Marie-Elena Garzilli, of Laurel, Maryland; their son and daughter-in-law, Richard Garzilli and his wife, Jane Becker Garzilli, of Los Angeles, California; and their daughter and son-in-law, Laura Ann Garzilli Bracken and her husband, Peter Bracken, of LaGrange, New York; and his brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Teresa Garzilli of Pittsboro, North Carolina.
Nick is also survived by his five grandchildren””Gwendolyn Bracken, Jesse Lee Bracken, Nicholas Garzilli, Matthew Garzilli, and David Bracken; and by his four great-grandchildren””Corinthian McLean, Amber McLean, Sequoia Helaku, and Dominick Garzilli. In addition, he is survived by a dozen nieces and nephews, and many other relatives and dear friends. A mid-day service was held in the chapel at the Ferncliff Cemetery on January 17th, 2013, followed by a military service and interment in the Shrine of Memories, a mausoleum at the same cemetery. In attendance were his wife, his children and their spouses, some of his grandchildren, many relatives and some friends.
