It is with a very heavy heart I announce, as of Aug. 4th, Frank Ruggiero of east Stroudsburg, PA, my father, has passed away after his hard fought battle with COPD.

COPD snuck up on him 5 years ago. But he was tough and fought through it. My dad Frank has always been a fighter. He protected the citizens of NYC and retired as a police officer early. My father was a very hardworking man, sometimes working 3 or 4 jobs at a time to provide for our family. My father continued his hard work as a custodian engineer for the NYC Department of Education before retiring completely and moving to the Poconos.

An unfortunate streak of events has plagued our family this year. Losing my little brother earlier this year nearly broke my family apart. Now, still struggling to pick up the pieces, we say goodbye to our hero, Dad.

Any help anyone can give us for his service is greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for more details on the date and time.