I wanted to let friends of the family know that my youngest brother, Michael Charles Schiappa, passed away on April 13, 2019.

 Michael suffered brain damage from a cerebral hemorrhage when he was 9 years old and has spent most of his life in care programs of one sort or another, most recently a nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida.  I regret that I did not get to see him very often.  Fortunately, his step-mother visited him weekly, including yesterday.  He seemed tired but otherwise was in good spirits, and apparently regaled his nursing home neighbors by singing over the PA system, as was his custom.

He was a character.  Other than taking smoke breaks and drinking an excessive amount of carbonated beverages, Michael's greatest love was music.  He listened to his music with various technologies over the years, from cassette tapes to CDs to iPods.  He tended to listen to the same artists and tunes and enjoyed singing along.  He loved to shock people with wholly inappropriate comments and questions.  Most folks indulged him.  Our step-mother said he was a “star” in his nursing home.

He suffered from a host of ailments, was confined to a wheelchair, and smoked heavily.  The nursing home describes his passing as due to natural causes, and he passed in his sleep.  He was 54 years old.  

You really do not need to react or comment to this post.  Really.  If you feel the impulse to respond, then hug someone close to you, and reach out to relatives you may have lost touch with.