Jonathan Acierno, 29, of Grasmere, a career counselor, died Monday at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze of cardiac arrest after a long battle with epilepsy and myasthenia gravis.
Born at Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, he was reared in Grasmere and graduated from St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School.
He received his bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in religion from Wagner College, where he was on the dean's list and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national honor society. He was president of the college's Rotary Club and its Commuter Club.
Prior to his graduation, from Wagner, Mr. Acierno had two books published.
Mr. Acierno received a full Ph.D. scholarship to New York University; he presented several papers internationally before receiving his degree.
Mr. Acierno worked for two and a half years as a career counselor/internship coordinator at Kingsborough Community College; he was still working at the time of his death.
Previously, Mr. Acierno worked for three years as a career counselor at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County.
Mr. Acierno was a parishioner of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Rosebank, where he was a CCD instructor for fourteen years; he also served as a Eucharistic minister.
Family said Mr. Acierno was ecstatic that he got to see the pope three times.
Mr. Acierno was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Madonna Council.
He raised funds for the March of Dimes organization.
Mr. Acierno loved to travel and had visited all of Europe, Australia, and many cities in the United States.
"His zest for life allowed him to enjoy concerts, plays, football, and baseball games and other events. He was also an avid reader," said his mother, Angela Acierno. "He was a devoted family member who would do anything for his family, and although he was advised to stop working, Jonathan chose to continue living his life as normally as possible. He tried never to consider himself disabled. His philosophy in life was that it was not about disabilities but our abilities, and what we could do with them."
Also surviving are his father, Carl; a brother, Michael; a sister, Erica; and his maternal grandmother, Sally Romagnano.
The funeral will be held on Saturday from the A. Azzara Funeral Home, South Beach, with a Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church.
Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.
Published in the Staten Island Advance on January 20, 2010.
Born at Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, he was reared in Grasmere and graduated from St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School.
He received his bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in religion from Wagner College, where he was on the dean's list and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national honor society. He was president of the college's Rotary Club and its Commuter Club.
Prior to his graduation, from Wagner, Mr. Acierno had two books published.
Mr. Acierno received a full Ph.D. scholarship to New York University; he presented several papers internationally before receiving his degree.
Mr. Acierno worked for two and a half years as a career counselor/internship coordinator at Kingsborough Community College; he was still working at the time of his death.
Previously, Mr. Acierno worked for three years as a career counselor at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County.
Mr. Acierno was a parishioner of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Rosebank, where he was a CCD instructor for fourteen years; he also served as a Eucharistic minister.
Family said Mr. Acierno was ecstatic that he got to see the pope three times.
Mr. Acierno was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Madonna Council.
He raised funds for the March of Dimes organization.
Mr. Acierno loved to travel and had visited all of Europe, Australia, and many cities in the United States.
"His zest for life allowed him to enjoy concerts, plays, football, and baseball games and other events. He was also an avid reader," said his mother, Angela Acierno. "He was a devoted family member who would do anything for his family, and although he was advised to stop working, Jonathan chose to continue living his life as normally as possible. He tried never to consider himself disabled. His philosophy in life was that it was not about disabilities but our abilities, and what we could do with them."
Also surviving are his father, Carl; a brother, Michael; a sister, Erica; and his maternal grandmother, Sally Romagnano.
The funeral will be held on Saturday from the A. Azzara Funeral Home, South Beach, with a Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church.
Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.
Published in the Staten Island Advance on January 20, 2010.
Jonathan Acierno, 29, of Grasmere, a career counselor, died Monday at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze of cardiac arrest after a long battle with epilepsy and myasthenia gravis.
Born at Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, he was reared in Grasmere and graduated from St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School.
He received his bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in religion from Wagner College, where he was on the dean's list and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national honor society. He was president of the college's Rotary Club and its Commuter Club.
Prior to his graduation, from Wagner, Mr. Acierno had two books published.
Mr. Acierno received a full Ph.D. scholarship to New York University; he presented several papers internationally before receiving his degree.
Mr. Acierno worked for two and a half years as a career counselor/internship coordinator at Kingsborough Community College; he was still working at the time of his death.
Previously, Mr. Acierno worked for three years as a career counselor at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County.
Mr. Acierno was a parishioner of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Rosebank, where he was a CCD instructor for fourteen years; he also served as a Eucharistic minister.
Family said Mr. Acierno was ecstatic that he got to see the pope three times.
Mr. Acierno was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Madonna Council.
He raised funds for the March of Dimes organization.
Mr. Acierno loved to travel and had visited all of Europe, Australia, and many cities in the United States.
"His zest for life allowed him to enjoy concerts, plays, football, and baseball games and other events. He was also an avid reader," said his mother, Angela Acierno. "He was a devoted family member who would do anything for his family, and although he was advised to stop working, Jonathan chose to continue living his life as normally as possible. He tried never to consider himself disabled. His philosophy in life was that it was not about disabilities but our abilities, and what we could do with them."
Also surviving are his father, Carl; a brother, Michael; a sister, Erica; and his maternal grandmother, Sally Romagnano.
The funeral will be held on Saturday from the A. Azzara Funeral Home, South Beach, with a Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church.
Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.
Published in the Staten Island Advance on January 20, 2010.
Born at Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, he was reared in Grasmere and graduated from St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School.
He received his bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in religion from Wagner College, where he was on the dean's list and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national honor society. He was president of the college's Rotary Club and its Commuter Club.
Prior to his graduation, from Wagner, Mr. Acierno had two books published.
Mr. Acierno received a full Ph.D. scholarship to New York University; he presented several papers internationally before receiving his degree.
Mr. Acierno worked for two and a half years as a career counselor/internship coordinator at Kingsborough Community College; he was still working at the time of his death.
Previously, Mr. Acierno worked for three years as a career counselor at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County.
Mr. Acierno was a parishioner of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Rosebank, where he was a CCD instructor for fourteen years; he also served as a Eucharistic minister.
Family said Mr. Acierno was ecstatic that he got to see the pope three times.
Mr. Acierno was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Madonna Council.
He raised funds for the March of Dimes organization.
Mr. Acierno loved to travel and had visited all of Europe, Australia, and many cities in the United States.
"His zest for life allowed him to enjoy concerts, plays, football, and baseball games and other events. He was also an avid reader," said his mother, Angela Acierno. "He was a devoted family member who would do anything for his family, and although he was advised to stop working, Jonathan chose to continue living his life as normally as possible. He tried never to consider himself disabled. His philosophy in life was that it was not about disabilities but our abilities, and what we could do with them."
Also surviving are his father, Carl; a brother, Michael; a sister, Erica; and his maternal grandmother, Sally Romagnano.
The funeral will be held on Saturday from the A. Azzara Funeral Home, South Beach, with a Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church.
Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.
Published in the Staten Island Advance on January 20, 2010.
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