Ex-mayor of Glen Cove, Andrew DiPaola, 86

When he was the mayor of Glen Cove, Andrew DiPaola had a vision, his daughter said.

He saw a local woman's breathtaking estate on the Long Island Sound, and imagined it as the city's public golf course.

He visited the woman over many months, and finally persuaded her to leave it to the city in her will, said DiPaola's daughter, Ann Nielsten, of Glen Ridge, N.J.

"He really appreciated the power that local government had on quality of life for people," said Nielsten. "He liked being able to fix a problem without a lot of red tape."

DiPaola, who spent the last 28 years of his career as a state Supreme Court Justice in Nassau County, died at his home in Glen Cove June 17. He was 86.

DiPaola grew up the middle child of Italian immigrants in Astoria, Queens, Nielsten said. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, and attended Columbia University until the U.S. joined World War II. He joined the U.S. Naval Air Force, serving in the Pacific from 1942 to 1946 Nielsten said.

After returning home, DiPaola earned his degree at Queens College, then went on to St. John's Law School, Nielsten said.

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In 1946, he married Helen, a young woman he had known since kindergarten, Nielsten said.

Soon, they moved from Astoria to Glen Cove and had two children, a son, Andrew Jr., and Nielsten.

After years of civic involvement, DiPaola was elected mayor in 1967.

"He loved being mayor," his daughter said, adding that he enjoyed everything from tackling big issues to helping people who called his home with complaints of a clogged sewer. In 1972, he was elected to the state Supreme Court, a job he held for two terms, or 28 years.

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"It was very important to him to have people in his court feel they had been treated fairly and people really listened to them," Nielsten said.

Nassau County's Administrative Judge Anthony Marano said DiPaola will be missed.

"Those of us fortunate enough to have known him will forever be inspired by his extraordinary compassion, integrity and knowledge of the law."

In addition to his wife, son and daughter, DiPaola is survived by his sister, Mary Santulli, of Freehold, N.J., and four grandchildren.

At his request, his services were private. The family asked that any donations be made to North Shore LIJ Health System Foundation, 125 Community Dr., Great Neck, NY 11021, and to the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons Inc., Box 901, Wainscott, NY 11975.