By Courtney Dentch
Michael Handy, a St. Albans native who served as military liaison to three mayors over the past 10 years, died Saturday of a heart attack. He was 55.
Handy, who grew up in St. Albans, took the subway every morning to his job as the director of the Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs, said Chet Marcus, a civilian public affairs officer for the Army Reserves based at Fort Totten.
“He was the most knowledgeable person in New York City about all veteran activity,” said Marcus, who had worked with Handy since 1991. “He basically was the main point of contact for anything involving veterans in New York City.”
Handy suffered a fatal heart attack Saturday afternoon at his home in Brooklyn, according to a statement from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It was unclear if the attack was related to a pre-existing condition.
“I'm still kind of in shock,” Marcus said. “He was a pretty vibrant and witty and personable guy.”
Handy is survived by his wife Edna and his four daughters, including one who is an Army sergeant, Marcus said. His family could not be reached for comment.
A U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Vietnam War, Handy worked tirelessly to help other veterans and military personnel, said Pat Toro, Jr., president of the Queens chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Handy was appointed executive director in the early 1990s under then-Mayor David Dinkins. Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Bloomberg reappointed him when they were elected.
“He was a veteran's vet,” Toro said. “If you wanted somebody in that position to look after the veterans in New York City, he was the guy you wanted. There are shoes there that I don't know if anyone could fill.”
With the war in Iraq, Handy was pushing for the city, state and federal governments to rewrite the definitions of veterans and prisoners of war to allow more service members to take advantage of benefits, Toro said. For example, military personnel must be held by an enemy for more than 30 days before they are entitled to POW benefits.
“He was a man dedicated to public service,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “As our country has been at war since 9/11, Michael was particularly invaluable in supporting our troops at home and abroad as well as making sure that those men and women whom we lost from New York were remembered.”
Handy was in Queens May 20 for Borough President Helen Marshall's Memorial Day tribute, Marshall said in a statement.
“The untimely death of Michael Handy is a great loss for his family, the city of New York and the tens of thousands of veterans who he served so well,” Marshall said.
Handy was honored at a memorial service aboard the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in Manhattan organized by Bloomberg's office Tuesday afternoon. His funeral was scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, at St. Catherine of Sienna Church at 118-22 Riverton St. in St. Albans.
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138
