"Mike, Kim & Joe, so sad to hear about your father, I had no idea...I cherish the memories of your beautiful Mom & Dad...miss you all"
In loving memory of
Michael Ferrauilo
October 16, 1943 - February 28, 2015
Brockport/Pompano Beach, FL: Saturday, February 28, 2015, passed away suddenly at age 71. He was a loving and devoted man known by many and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Michael was predeceased by Anita Ferrauilo. He will be missed by his soul mate Giovanna Tuttobene; Michael is survived by his children: Michael (Nancy) Ferrauilo; Kimberly Poudrier Joseph (Michele) Ferrauilo, Michael (Krista) Tuttobene, Gina (Luciano Ortiz) Tuttobene and grandchildren: Olivia, Emily Ferrauilo, Alexandria, Zachary, Haleigh Poudrier, Kristi, Ashley, Brittany, Brooke LaMantia, Salvatore, Allesandro Giuseppe Tuttobene; great-granddaughter, Zoe Grace LaMantia; siblings, Bonnie Haefner, Debra (Joseph) Haefner, Donald (Joyce) Ferrauilo, James Ferrauilo, Teresa (David) Lang; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Michael's family will receive friends from 1-3 6-9 PM Thursday at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 and Long Pond Rd). The celebration of Michael's life will be Friday 11 AM at St. John's the Evangelist Church of Spencerport, 55 Martha St. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation of Upstate New York, 310 Packett's Landing, Fairport, NY 14450 in Michael's memory.
Born in Rochester, NY to Dominic Mary on October 16, 1943, Michael was raised "Down the Hill". He never referred to the name of his street, he simply said he lived "Down the Hill". Michael later moved to 872 North Plymouth Ave. Living across from Jones Park, Michael would rake leaves into large piles and then he would hide behind the trees and wait for the girls to come by...he would jump out from behind the tree and throw the girls into the pile of leaves, he was such a flirt!
As a child, Michael went to St. Anthony's elementary school and then Aquinas until he transferred to Jefferson High School where he was quarterback of the football team. He had his eye on the captain of the cheerleading squad, a cute coed named Anita Prince, that later became his wife. He would happily tell you he graduated first in his class in 1961.
Michael was the founder owner of Michael A. Ferrauilo Plumbing Heating. In his spare time, he liked spending time with family and friends in Florida. He also enjoyed boating and was a member of the St. John's Club. In his youth, besides football, Michael also played baseball in high school. In his adult life, he continued playing slow-pitch softball for Ro-Mon Mechanical Contractors, usually behind the plate catching balls and strikes.
Family was most important to Michael. The family would travel to Disney world once every year, stay at the newly constructed Contemporary Hotel, and enjoy riding the Monorail back and forth to the Disney Theme Parks. Michael also would host a St Joseph's Table for his family and friends each year in April. He did this for several years. Every Sunday, the family would attend church, pay a visit to the cemetery, then go on to Dominic Mary's house for "Sunday sauce", Kagoots, and Pizza Fritta. Always a good time.
In 1996, his love for family was returned when he received his 1st Kidney transplant from his youngest sister Teresa. After 13 years, Michael needed another kidney transplant which he then received from his soulmate Giovanna.
Some of Michael's favorite things included a traditional iceberg lettuce salad with red wine vinegar, oil, and radishes. He loved HARD plums, fudgesicles, cucumbers with salt, jellied fruit slices, sharp provolone cheese and fresh Italian bread. He loved red sauce, but hated tomatoes. He loved little white boxes filled with pastries, that even when they were purposely kept out of his reach (for his own good), he was somehow able to elevate the seat of his Hi Tech motorized wheelchair to reach the "sweets". On the flip side, Michael was not a pet lover, he often would take the animals on "long rides"...they never made it home.
Michael tried to enter the world of social media...he bought an I Phone and learned how to text, take pictures, and read/send emails from his new phone. The problem was that he had difficulty accessing his account. He would repeatedly type in the wrong password, habitually inquire about resetting his password, and send text messages that were incomprehensible. He was funny. But he tried. Often times when he was "face timing", he was showing the hallways to the person on the other end of the phone because he couldn't understand that he had to orient the phone in a certain way.
Michael was a fan of Aquinas, McQuaid, Mercy, St. Lawrence, U of R, and St. Joe's. He followed his children and grandchildren throughout their athletic careers.
Michael was resilient, cheating death several times, often said to have nine lives. "Titan" was the word used to describe him. When others would see the task in front of them as daunting or even unachievable, Michael had a different outlook. He was positive and forward thinking.
He was the patriarch of his family... the "go to guy" amongst his brothers and sisters. He was a source of stability in their lives, the Rock, like St Peter. He always made time for others. He was humble, never felt entitled, generous, boisterous, and even sometimes unfiltered. He was respected, gentle, and never a bully. His transplant nurse once said that "everyone loves Big Mike". He was hard not to love.
Some things in the world are forgettable....but not Michael. He was unforgettable. He will be dearly missed.
Tributes
"Michael it is with such sadness that we have to light this candle for you today.... We will always keep your light and memory burning in our hearts....we hope you have the best birds eye view of what is going on down here....the LOVE and support is so overwhelming to us!! You have touched so many lives with great JOY for this I am thankful and very proud of who you were and all the things you stood for....it is with such deep sadness that your physical presence is going to be missed as babies are about to be born and weddings to be celebrated....so keep that birds eye view and watch over all of us....and we will look up to heaven with a smile and a prayer......LOVE & PEACE FOREVER"
"Michael didn't come into our lives until 2009 when we first visited Sunflower Landing, although unbeknownst to us at the time, our paths certainly crossed over the years, between Glide Street and Marble Drive. From the first time we met Michael and Giovanna we wanted to be a part of his Sunflower dream, and are so blessed that it happened. Michael was one of the most driven, generous, family oriented men I knew, and so caring. No matter what health issues he was dealing with, or how lousy he felt, every time I saw him he would ask how I was, and tell me he was praying for me. And I have never seen anyone as devoted and caring as Giovanna has been to Michael, and to his dream. Michael, you are going to be so missed (we are going to miss seeing you rolling down street, and back yards - although not the times you scared us to death when you would get stuck in a hole and almost tipped over!), but you will be forever in our hearts. And as Sunflower Landing continues to grow, we know that you will be smiling down on us. Don't worry about Giovanna and Bonnie - we will all be there for them. Thank you for being our neighbor and a part of our lives!"
"Joanne, we are sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time."
"As kids we lacked for nothing. My father was bigger than life and his death is
an end to an era. My dad was the patriarch of his siblings, of our family and of
our business and for me, my dad was my HERO. He was the "go to" guy for everyone
on everything. My father was a loving man to his soul mate Giovanna. My
father was the classic entrepreneur. He was a self made smart and savvy
businessman, possessing many talents from commercial plumbing, snow plowing,
house renovations, commercial rental property ownership/management, civil and
site work, homebuilding, and even a pizzeria if you could believe it. Growing up in the business, my father always had
the answers because he had accomplished so much, and if not, he knew where to go
for the answers. My Father was kind and generous to everyone that he knew. In
these past few days, I have enjoyed hearing all the kind words spoken about my
father from so many people that knew him. A man's legacy speaks volumes about
his character and integrity. My dad's legacy is his devotion to his family and
their well being, his huge heart for those in need, his tireless work ethic and
his devotion to God.
As a man, father and grandfather, my dad was special. He was at every baseball
game as kids, every wrestling match, every football game and when my college
football team traveled out of state for games, he still never missed a game. He
was my biggest fan along with my mom. You could always find him at his
grandkid's games or functions, even after he was confined to a wheelchair. My
father did not know how to retire but he sure did enjoy a long break away in
Florida every year with the old gang meeting for breakfast every Saturday.
I know my father searched and found the Lord. My father found comfort in the
word of God as do I. Today and every day as I move forward in life without my
dad, I know he is in heaven, fully restored and basking in the glory of the
almighty God. The word of God declares - No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and
no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. My dad had a
curiosity about how all things were constructed but he is in absolute awe right
now of the mansion in heaven that God built just for him! May we all find peace
in this scripture - Be still and know that I am God."
"As kids we lacked for nothing. My father was bigger than life and his death is an end to an era. My dad was the patriarch of his siblings, of our family and of our business and for me, my dad was my HERO. He was the "go to" guy for everyone on everything. My father was a loving man to his soulmate Giovanna. My father was the classic entrepreneur. He was a self made smart and savvy businessman, possessing many talents from commercial plumbing, snow plowing, house renovations, commercial rental property ownership/management, civil and site work, homebuilding, and even a pizzeria if you could believe it. Growing up in the business, my father always had the answers because he had accomplished so much, and if not, he knew where to go for the answers. My Father was kind and generous to everyone that he knew. In these past few days, I have enjoyed hearing all the kind words spoken about my father from so many people that knew him. A man's legacy speaks volumes about his character and integrity. My dad's legacy is his devotion to his family and their well being, his huge heart for those in need, his tireless work ethic and his devotion to God. As a man, father and grandfather, my dad was special. He was at every baseball game as kids, every wrestling match, every football game and when my college football team traveled out of state for games, he still never missed a game. He was my biggest fan along with my mom. You could always find him at his grandkid's games or functions, even after he was confined to a wheelchair. My father did not know how to retire but he sure did enjoy a long break away in Florida every year with the old gang meeting for breakfast every Saturday. I know my father searched and found the Lord. My father found comfort in the word of God as do I. Today and every day as I move forward in life without my dad, I know he is in heaven, fully restored and basking in the glory of the almighty God. The word of God declares - No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. My dad had a curiosity about how all things were constructed but he is in absolute awe right now of the mansion in heaven that God built just for him! May we all find peace in this scripture - Be still and know that I am God."
"Michael I love you so much how could I not light a candle when we grew up lighting candles in church with mom and dad . You have been my guiding light especially since losing mom and dad. You were always there for me with open arms to help in any way. I thank God for the gift of you in my life. We have a beautiful story we share . Forever and always your loving sister Debbie"
"My condolences to the whole family! I truly enjoyed all the stories Mike used to share."
"Mike will truly be missed by the Class of 57. We had such a close knite group. He was loved by everyone. We all had a wonderful time at our past reunions. Mike will certianaly be missed a our next reunion."
"May you rest in peace Mike! My prayers and thoughts go out to all my Ferrauilo cousins and their families in Rochester NY. P.S Mike, Say hi to my dad and sis up there."
"We always enjoyed speaking with Mike whenever the occasion presented itself where we were together. I began my apprenticeship at MAF and always enjoyed working with Mike. Our thoughts are with the family."
"David Faris purchased flowers (Summer's Light Bouquet) We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. The Faris Family"
"(Hosea 13:14) From the power of the Grave I will redeem them; From death I will recover them. Where are your stings, O Death? Where is your destructiveness, O Grave?"
"Additional Tribute Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyoy1ZlLvUk"