Community mourns sudden death of Massapequa International Little League coach

Members of the community and other coaches say Joe Laudisio brought passion and compassion to the game.

News 12 Staff

Jan 6, 2023, 10:49 PM

Updated 695 days ago

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A coach with the Massapequa International Little League team died on New Year’s Day in a car crash.
Members of the community and other coaches say Joe Laudisio brought passion and compassion to the game.
“Whatever we were doing, he was giving a kid a hug and they might make a mistake and he was telling them, ‘You’ll get them next time,’” said fellow coach Joe Mulligan.
Laudisio, who was also a coach for the South Shore Chiefs, is being remembered for the lives he touched off the field.
Shanon Tranchina says Laudisio volunteered to organize a fundraiser to help her 4-year-old daughter Quinn – who was battling cancer.
The charity doubleheader called “Help The Mighty Quinn Strike Out Leukemia” raised $4,500 for Quinn’s medical bills.
“My daughter wasn’t even playing softball at the time,” Tranchina said. “We didn’t have any kids in sports at that time. He was just a neighbor and wanted to help.”
The community is now helping Laudisio’s wife Jennifer and their three young children.
Nearly $100,000 in donations has poured into a GoFundMe page set up for Laudisio’s family to honor his memory.
Laudisio was just 42 years old.