Obituary of William Ross Cinquanti

William Ross Cinquanti Bill Cinquanti, 74, of Homer, New York passed away September 14, 2012 at Saint joseph's Hospital after.a brief illness.He was born June 27,1938 in Cortland, New York, the son of the late Rosini and Olivia (Camillo) Cinquanti. Bill was a graduate of Cortland High School in 1957 and was a lifelong resident of the Homer/Cortland area.Opening Cinquanti Real Estate in 1968 he was a past president of the Cortland County Board of Realtors, once named Realtor of the Year and was widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Cortland County Multiple Listing Service. Bill was appointed Cortland County Real Property Tax Director in 1983, a position he held until his death, and became a NYS Certified Real Property Tax Director in 1985. He was a member of the NYS Assessor's Association and a member ofthe NYS County Director's Association since 1983 serving as its President in 1990-1991. He was a charter member of the Real Property Tax Administration Committee (RPTAC) which was comprised of NYS Real Property Tax Officials, County Real Property Tax Directors and NYS Assessors. This important committee formed statewide policies on assessment related issues. Bill was always considered an innovator by his peers and was never afraid to try something new or even controversial if he felt it bettered the property tax system and benefited the taxpayer. Bill was highly respected and was always considered a true friend to Assessors and Directors alike across the State. Locally he was an active and long term member of the Homer Congregational Church and served for eight years as a trustee while participating on many other committees and efforts on behalf of the church. In the past he also served as a trustee of the JM Murray Center for twelve years, was on the Homer Recreation Commission for twenty, was a past president of the Cortland Kiwanis and still maintained contact with his old Jaycees friends. As important as he was to his community and the State he was a family man first and loved nothing more than spending time with and making his wife, children and grandchildren happy. He loved to travel with Laura and he thoroughly enjoyed being involved with all of the activities his grandchildren participated in. He is survived by Laura (Collier) Cinquanti, his wife of 55 years, a son Steve (Terri) Cinquanti, daughter Cheryl (Phillip) Herman of Medford, New Jersey, brother Phil Cinquanti, and grandchildren Nick Cinquanti, Collier Greene, David Herman, Michael Herman, Sean Herman, Leslie Dill, Sara Herman and Samantha Kennedy, six great grandchildren, several nieces, nephews and cousins. Mr. Cinquanti was predeceased by his beloved step mother Marguerite (Miller) Cinquanti, his sister-in-law Sharon (Hollenbeck) Cinquanti, and his step brothers Ray Ellis Miller, Byron Miller and Rex Miller. The family will receive friends at the Wright-Beard Funeral Home Tuesday September 18, 2012 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. A memorial service will be conducted by the Reverend Jim Ziobro at the Homer Congregational Church on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution in Bill's honor to the Homer Congregational Church, 28 South Main Street, Homer, New York 13077. Laura, Carol and I were deeply saddened to hear about Bill's illness last week. You were both very special to Carol and I. We have conflicts or we would be joining you for the services. I survived an aortic aneurysm my self and have a special feeling for that condition. He was a full 4 months younger than I am and we will miss him. Tom and Carol McManus Steve and Family, We are sorry for the loss of your Father. This is a difficult time but a blessing that he is now in a better place. We are loosing great people but heaven is filling up with them. Paul Alteri & Family to all the Cinquanti family: Bill will be so missed in our community, and thankful he was shared for so many years. May he be in more peaceful place,with sincere sympathy to all of you. I know he will be missed. My blessings to all of you, Amy Tutino Piatak Orlando Fl We are so sorry to hear about your loss. What a great guy! Every time he would come for ice cream, he was always so friendly. He would always comment on how "great" out ice cream is. He was also looking forward to our new business venture. I am so sorry that he will not be able to see the finished product. He was a customer that we all looked forward to chatting with and we knew he would always have a smile on his face. May he truely rest in peace. Super Cream Dairy Bar and Dann Family Laura and family, I retired from the assessment profession after almost 30 years. I knew Bill as a friend and collegue for almost all of that time. We sat on many committees together including RPTAC. Bill was a true professional, gentleman and a great friend. I had just spent a short time with him at Cornell this summer and was so happy to see him. I am so sorry for your loss. Bill will be greatly missed by all that knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Most sincerely, Sue Otis Cinquanti Family, Very sorry to hear of Bill's passing. He was a great man and a pillar of our community. I cherished the days that I served as the recreation director in Homer while he was on the board. He will be missed by all that knew him. You and yours are in our thoughts and prayers. Richard Cecconi It was my profound honor to know Bill for over 20 years. We first met when I arrived at the Cortland County government building in search of directions to my meeting with a fellow assessor. Bill's warm smile was just what was needed after my 3 plus hours on the road. We later served together on a number of committees, including RPTAC, and when attending joint meetings with the NYS county directors and assessors organizations. He approached every issue with wisdom, common sense and sound solutions, always finding ways to reach consensus when there were differences of opinion. He never lost his cool when others did, and gained respect from everyone on all sides. Please accept my sincere condolences on your deep loss of husband, father, grandfather and friend. He will be missed more than words can express. Andrea Nilon Iam very sorry for you loss. Mr. Cinquanti meant a great deal to me as a young man. He was the stable male presence in my life when I needed it the most. I have thought about him frequently over the years and I will continue to do so. God Bless your family and thank you Bill. Jeff Zimmerman Dear Laura and Family We were shocked and saddened by the news of Bill's passing. We saw you and Bill at the Jaycee luncheon at the country club this summer, and Dick is now so grateful to have taken a few minutes to visit with Bill. Our original connection was via the Jaycees. We engaged Bill to be the realtor who took us through the sale of our home in 1981 - a tough time to sell a house. He'll always be warmly remembered. Dick & Patti Custer Laura,Family and Phillip, We were so saddened to hear of"Billie's" passing. You can all be very proud of his achievments. He was very successful in his business and contributed much to our community. I have many fond memories of our younger days growing up on the "East End". We will always remember his great personality and his pleasant smile. Please accept our sincerest condolences for your great loss. We will keep you in our thoughts and in our prayers. Warmest regards---Gene and Jo Mironti