Katonah community mourns Mike Berardino

Remembered as a friend to many, always willing to help

Michael Berardino at Katonah Anniversary Day.

By JEFF MORRIS

When Michael Berardino died on Aug. 2 at the age of 73, he left a community that mourned his passing while acknowledging the indelible mark he left on Katonah.

His retirement in 2022 after 40 years as Katonah’s State Farm Insurance agent brought out many of the same sentiments that are being expressed now. Berardino’s impact was much more than simply a local business owner, as he spent much of his time volunteering and organizing civic programs.

“I always likened Mike as our mayor,” said Anne Hanley, a former co-president of the Katonah Chamber of Commerce. “When my husband and I moved to Katonah in ‘89, he became our State Farm Insurance agent, and then I saw him everywhere — at the gym, St. Mary’s Church, Katonah Village Improvement Society, Katonah Village Library, Katonah Memorial Park Association, Katonah Fire Department, or any community event.”

Hanley recalled how, in 2010, he approached KMPA in an effort to restart the Katonah 5K race after it was sidelined due to town budgetary issues.

“We brainstormed with the town and came up with a fresh new Trail Run 5K in honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, saving money by running through the Katonah Park Trails,” she said. “It was a wild success and was then handed off to KVIS.”

Hanley called Berardino a “dynamo” who would do anything to help others. “He would volunteer to help anyone and almost any cause; he was very special that way,” she said. “I loved his stories of football games, golf classics, his extended family and friends. He often told me the American Legion had the coldest tap beer, and you know, he was right! He knew Katonah better than anyone I know.”

Berardino adopted Katonah as his own, but he grew up on Long Island, the son of a State Farm agent, and wound up handling the business in New York City. Upon his retirement in 2022, he recalled that when, in 1982, he heard about an opportunity in Katonah, he said, “Fine, I’ll go up there.”

Immediately, Berardino started sponsoring softball, posting the rosters in the post office, a practice he continued for decades. He followed a philosophy he summarized as, “We humanize stuff. I know their names.” He said everywhere he went, he could point to somebody and say, “I know him. I know him.” 

“Michael was a kind, decent and generous man,” said Mindy Yanish, a former Katonah business owner and founder of the Creative Alliance Project. “He was always willing to offer help on anything he could. When he came into Offerings Gallery, it was often just to say hello and ask how things were going. He truly exemplified community spirit and service to others. When he heard about the event I was doing to bolster support for Katonah businesses by filling the empty storefronts with art, his profound generosity was noteworthy as the financial support he provided was pivotal in its success. I will always be grateful to have known him.” 

Former Bedford Town Board member, Don Scott, said, “Mike was a community treasure. One of the most involved selfless volunteers I have ever known. He was a good friend and we shared the dysfunction of being loyal Jets fans. Games won’t be the same without him.”

Rud Niles, owner of the Niles Insurance Agency, offered a more detailed account of Jets fandom. “Back in 2011 when my wife and I moved to Katonah, I ordered a custom New York Jets license plate for our car. I thought it would make me stand out until a couple of days later I noticed another silver SUV, which also had a custom ‘NY Jets’ license plate. I was excited to meet the owner, but then bummed to learn it belonged to my closest competitor, geographically speaking, that is; Mike’s office was maybe 1,000 feet from mine.” 

Niles went on, “While we were technically competitors, and one might naturally assume a defensive stance towards the same, Mike was always such a gentleman. He certainly loved his job — and loved helping people — and he really loved Katonah. He once told me, ‘There’s plenty of business to go around,’ and that resonated with me. Eventually we would steer business back and forth to one another. I always appreciated Mike’s wholesome perspective on Katonah, on business, and on the New York Jets. To me, Mike was another reason why I felt our town was so special.”

“He was a great guy,” summed up Katonah attorney and former County Legislator Kitley Covill. “He would give you the shirt off his back and a Jets hat to go with it.”

In 2023, Phyllis Pacifico-Cohen, then confidential secretary to the supervisor, nominated Berardino for the Westchester County Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. 

“Mike is a natural born leader,” she wrote. “He is never possessive with his involvement, and his energy and ideas are inspiring.” 

She lauded his hands-on approach: “He doesn’t delegate — he is in the mix, hanging posters, talking up sponsorship to store owners and individuals, and writing grants to continue to promote his hometown that he adores.”

Now, Pacifico-Cohen says, “We can all agree that Mike Berardino helped nurture the community of generosity and neighborly kindness that makes living in Bedford so special. He always found the time to help with unmet needs: be it people, events, ideas. His friendship was one you could count on. His willingness to jump into a project wholeheartedly was contagious and inspiring. It’s that unique blend of creativity, energy, and enthusiasm that bakes ideas into reality, and a piece of his legacy.”

When he retired,  Bedford Planning Board Chair Deirdre Courtney-Batson said, “Mike Berardino is one of Katonah’s treasures. I first got to know him well 25 years ago when we both were part of the huge team that planned the two-weekend-long celebration of the centennial of Katonah’s move. His enthusiasm was boundless; if there was a job to do, he did it, something that we needed he found it, a problem to be solved he solved it. And all the while, even when the rest of us were tired and exhausted, Mike remained completely upbeat, convincing us all that the fun we would have at the celebration would be worth all the work — which it was.” 

She described how, eight years later, he began pushing for a 10-year recap. “I thought he was out of his mind,” said Courtney-Batson, “but Mike was relentless, reminding us how much fun we all had, how it had pulled the community together,” resulting in the CenTENnial celebration and then, another decade later, the Cen20nial celebration. 

“That’s Mike — one party is never enough, there’s always more fun to be had, more people to be helped, more joy to be spread.” Now, Courtney-Batson adds, “My problem is that Mike is such a large part of my image of Katonah that I can hardly imagine a Katonah that he’s not a part of. He embodied so much of what is good about this quirky place.”

State Assemblymember and former Bedford Town Supervisor Chris Burdick remembered Berardino as “a decent fellow who always pitched in to help the community,” and recalled him as one of the principal organizers of the 5K Katonah race, beginning on the 10 anniversary of 9/11 in Katonah Memorial Park. “The Run to Remember race was followed by a ceremony with the planting of a white spruce tree and a ‘We Will Never Forget’ plaque near the pavilion,” he noted.

Former Supervisor MaryAnn Carr said, “We often spoke when he was mobile — moving around and in better health. I last saw him at an event at the Katonah Library maybe two years ago. His health was declining, but he managed to pull me aside so he could chat about his grandkids and his love for the community.” 

She noted his support for local and civic causes, fostering goodwill throughout the town. “I would often see his son around town and ask about his father regularly. He told me it was touch and go these last few months.”

Current Bedford Town Supervisor Ellen Calves called Berardino “such a generous and beautiful person” who “loved Katonah and the Katonah community with a passion that was evident.”

She recalled how, as a KVIS board member, “he organized the Katonah Road Races for 20 years and would secure nearly all the sponsorships, raising thousands of dollars each year for Katonah improvements.” 

“May Mike’s exuberance and generous spirit live on in the Katonah Road Races and the community he loved,” she said.

The family is scheduled to receive friends today, Friday, Aug. 8, from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Clark Associates Funeral Home, located at 4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Catholic Church, located at 55 Valley Road, Katonah. A burial service will follow at St. Mary/Putnam Cemetery, Greenwich, Conn.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Katonah Village Library, 26 Bedford Road, Katonah, NY 10536, Attn: Mary Kane, or The Joseph J. Berardino Scholarship at St. Michael’s College. Donations to the college can be made online at smcvt.edu/give; checks can be made out to “Saint Michael’s College” with a note on the designation line for the scholarships.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHYLLIS PACIFICO-COHEN