Obituary of Frank Carmen Cernese

CERNESE - Frank Carmen, 76, of Huntington, on December 16, 2014. He was born in 1938 and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School, graduating with a medal for Applied Electrical Engineering. He was an avid amateur radio operator and classic car aficionado. At barely eighteen years of age, he held two jobs, working as the cameraman behind third base at Shea Stadium, and also changing reels of film in the bottom of WOR channel 9's operations in the Empire State Building. Called to the harbor with a temporary press pass to help film the return of the surviving passengers from the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria on July 26, 1956, young Frank improvised a way to deflect the camera's microwaves off of a metal billboard, thereby affording WOR prized coverage of the event. Frank kept his pass and earned a place out of the basement. He eventually specialized in editing. At the height of his career, he was counted among the few elite in his niche, working with esteemed directors such as Woody Allen and on well-beloved film, commercial and television productions over his fifty year career. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1984 for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Limited Series and was a Monitor Award recipient. His career spanned changes from film to tape to digital technologies.Frank moved to Huntington in 1967 with his wife, Eileen, and his four children. He resided there until contracting West Nile virus in 2010, when he was relocated to Syosset for long term care. Known for his tenacity, generosity and gregarious nature, Frank fought to enjoy his last years with his family, until he succumbed to the illness. He is pre- deceased by his wife, survived by his 4 children and their spouses, 5 grandchildren, his brother, sister-in-law and their children. Visitation hours are from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2014 at M.A. Connell Funeral Home in Huntington Station, N.Y. The funeral mass will be held at St. Patrick's Church in Huntington at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, December 19, 2014.