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Eastchester Town Councilman Glenn Bellitto died on Thursday, April 2. He was 62. He had been admitted to the hospital last weekend.
Bellitto was a 30-year Bronxville resident who was defined by his love for his family, his commitment to the Village of Bronxville and the entirety of Eastchester and his lifelong devotion to community service, according to is obituary.
He was vice president of finance at Acacia Network Housing, a non-profit based in the Bronx, and one of the largest providers of transitional housing for the New York City Department of Homeless Services.
Born and raised in Yonkers, he and his new wife moved to Bronxville the day after they married. Their two children grew up in the village.
"He enjoyed exploring the world with his wife and kids and instilled an appreciation of discovery and adventure in them," his obituary said. "He always created a warm space and beautiful memories for his extended family at Christmas and during summers out in Quogue."
His interest in politics ignited when he was 10, fueled by the debates around current events that he would have with his father at the dinner table.
At 18, he was elected vice president of the Westchester County Young Republicans Club. In his 20's, he became a Republican district leader and President of the Republican Club 11th Ward. At the age of 32, he ran for U.S. Congress as the Republican candidate for New York's 16th District.
Prior to being Eastchester Town Councilman, he was deputy mayor of Bronxville, a Bronxville trustee and a liaison to the Bronxville Police Department.
He became a member of the Eastchester Town Council in 2011.
He was also a member of the Eastchester Italian-American Citizen's Club, Tuckahoe-Eastchester Lion's Club, Knights of Columbus, Order of the Sons of Italy and the Eastchester Irish-American Social Club.
He attended Archbishop Stepinac High School where he made his mark as the editor-in-chief of the 1976 Bicentennial yearbook and as a National Merit Scholar.
He graduated from Harvard College in 1980 with a B.A. in Government and received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1984.
Glenn met his wife, Kyle, at the Harvard Club in Manhattan and proposed to her in Harvard Yard.
He carried forward his love for the school by his volunteer work in interviewing interested high school seniors, something he did for more than 30 years.
He was passionate about passing on his love of education to his children. His daughter Dale is now a Dartmouth alum and practicing attorney. His son, Gage, was a sophomore at Columbia, which is where he died of an opioid overdose.
"Glenn was forever changed by that tragedy," his obituary said. "It was then that he channeled his sorrow by becoming a spokesperson with respect to opioid addiction and its impact on families."
In addition to his wife, Kyle Anne Moran, and daughter, Dale, Bellitto is survived by his mother, Dolores (Patrone) Bellitto, brother Douglas, sister Robin Stettnisch (Bill), nephews Kevin, Ryan and Matthew, and many cousins and aunts. He is pre-deceased by his son, Gage, and his father, Salvatore Joseph Bellitto.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Glenn may be made to the Center on Addiction (in memory of Glenn D. Bellitto in memo line) at 485 Lexington Ave. New York, NY, 10017, or through its website at centeronaddiction.org/donate.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
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