Obituary of Ernest (Ernie) Molinari

January 1, 2020

Ernest Molinari, 82, of New York, NY, passed away on January 1st after a 3-year bout with congestive heart failure.
Ernest was born on February 3, 1937, to Louis Molinari and Florence Sciarrillo in lower Manhattan. Growing up, he worked in his parent's grocery store in Greenwich Village. He served his country in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve before starting his career in banking. He worked for 20 years at West Side Savings Bank on 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village and then spent another 20 years at Cross County Federal Savings and Loan in Middle Village, Queens.
Ernest was active in Greenwich Village community affairs and had a strong interest in ensuring neighborhood kids had a safe environment to enjoy sports. He was involved with the William Church Osborn Children's Aid Society and raised funding by enlisting local small business owners to sponsor teams in the Greenwich Village Basketball League. He was also responsible for having traffic lights installed on intersections that were dangerous to pedestrians near the Holland Tunnel.
He is survived by the love of his life, Rose Molinari (nee Zazzaro), who he met when they were teenagers. They were inseparable from that day on and were married 59 years. He loved spending summers with his children and grandchildren in Bradley Beach, NJ and in retirement enjoyed spending time in Florida, going on cruises and taking vacations with his family. He especially liked fishing with his grandchildren.
Ernest is predeceased by his parents and his sister Florence Molinari. He is survived by his sister Josephine Barbuto, his brother Vincent (Kathleen) Molinari, his three children, Ernest (Laura) Molinari, Vincent (Elizabeth) Molinari, Carol (Scott) Giunta; and his six grandchildren, Dominick, Louis, Vincent, Nico, Christina, and Sofia.

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