Beloved Massapequa Businesswoman Battled Illness With 'Courage'

MASSAPEQUA, NY — Colleagues are remembering a fixture in the community.

Patricia Orzano is being laid to rest Tuesday after a funeral Mass at St. Joesph's Roman Catholic Church in Babylon.

Orzano was the beloved owner of 7-Eleven on Merrick Road in Massapequa and a past president of the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce.

"Her courage is unmeasurable because of what she went through," Keith Wilson, a broker at Exit Realty Dreams in North Massapequa, told Patch she faced a cancer battle.

Orzano met her husband Richard in the 1980s when she worked at the 7-Eleven. Her husband died in 2015.

"Her spirit to live in illness will be unmatched by anybody I ever knew," Wilson said.

Another chamber past president reflected on her relationship with Orzano.

"I actually passed 'the' baton on to her for her two terms," Phyllis Doria said. "I have also been also been friends with her for over 20 years."

Orzano, who lived in West Babylon, gave back to the community where she worked for decades.

"She brought our chamber into participation for Toys for Tots as she had championed it with 7-Eleven, Doria said. "Over the years she was the major fundraiser for our annual street fairs."

Wilson said: "Just a lot of stuff she got involved with, and she really set an example as a [chamber] president."

In announcing her death last week, the Chamber of Commerce said, "Patty was the archetype of a successful businesswoman and the perfect Chamber member."

Jamie Bogenshutz, also got to know Orzano, from her work at the YES Community Counseling Center.

"Patty was a woman whose dedication and commitment to both the Massapequa Chamber and the community at large was extraordinary," Bogenshutz said. "Her passion and strength [were] evident in all her efforts, and our community has suffered a great loss with her passing. She will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known and worked side-by-side with her.