Now, when JeriAnn Abbondandelo leaves her house in the morning, she’ll be turning the corner on Brian R. Abbondandelo Way, renamed in honor of her late husband this Saturday.
“It’s such an honor,” she said, standing in front of her house on the corner of Garden Street, now named after Brian, which she shared with him until he died in 2016 after succumbing to cancer, which he developed after responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was 53 years old.
“It means everything that he’s being honored, forever, in this way down the street where I grew up on, where he raised me on,” his son Zachery Abbondandelo said. He is currently a public safety officer for North Hempstead and has been inspired by his late father to to join the police force.
Abbondandelo is the third fallen Nassau County officer honored in the department’s current push to ensure all 50 cops who have lost their lives in the line of duty are recognized prominently throughout the county as the Nassau County Police Department marks its 100-year anniversary.
Dozens of people gathered in front of JeriAnn’s house on Saturday to watch Brian’s sign be revealed, along with over 30 officers who assisted in the ceremony.
“He was just so funny,” JeriAnn said of Brian, who served on both the NYPD and NCPD during his years as an officer. “He would always drop something to go help someone. I think that counts for everything – All these people have still come out after almost 10 years of his passing.”
Some of those in attendance included Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jen DeSena, his three children, four grandchildren, aunt, friends and cousin, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, all of whom emphasized Brian’s commitment to serving his community and the importance of his legacy living on.
“To me, this is really about the grandkids. They didn’t have the opportunity to get to know what a very special person he was,” DiNapoli said. “As they’re growing up and they come here to this family home, they’re going to look at that sign and they’re going to know that their grandfather was a very, very special person. They’re going to be sure to ask more about him, their parents, their grandmother, their uncle, great uncle.”
“This sign is not only something for his grandchildren to be proud of, it’s for all the children to be proud of,” DeSena added. “They will walk by here and they will see a hero’s name.”
“This is a way for us to never forget, not only keep him close in our heart, but to make sure that his memory is always going to be recalled, honored, cherished, valued,” DiNapoli added. “It will let him be a role model for all of us on how to live a good life, how to give back to your family, how to give back to your community.”
