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REMEMBERING A FRIEND
COMMUNITY MOURNS THE LOSS OF GOOD-HEARTED VETERAN
By Kim Fink
 | | --Photo Courtesy Of Don Czekanski Phillip Bianco, second from the right, made a big impact on his community. |
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Friends, relatives, township officials and fellow residents all gathered in the church of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Whiting, last week to pay respects and say one final goodbye to a man who is gone but won't soon be forgotten.
Phillip Bianco, 57, of Whiting, passed away Monday, February 25, leaving a community heart broken for the man who gave selflessly and brought joy to the lives of many with his charitable contributions.
Bianco, a Vietnam veteran who lost his leg in the war, had various health issues. He battled diabetes and cancer. He was receiving regular dialysis treatments. He was confined to a wheelchair and had recently undergone a kidney transplant.
He was not a healthy man, but he was a kind man. A generous man who despite his illness and personal suffering worked diligently each year on a toy drive that brought the joy of Christmas to children less fortunate. The drive, which began over 10 years ago and was funded solely by Bianco, delivered toys to a local school for disabled children and also to a local pediatric burn center. Bianco spent in excess of $13,000 a year out of his pension and disability checks on the toys, ensuring that every child got exactly what they wanted. Dressed as Santa Claus and with a little story for the children, Bianco would spend the first few weeks of December hand delivering the toys, enjoying the expressions of the children as they unwrapped their most wanted gift.
"He touched the lives of so many families, so many children. He was an extra special human being and has left us way too soon," said friend and fellow veteran Don Czekanski, who served with him on Mayor Fressola's Veterans Advisory Committee.
"I was always very impressed by Phil and the work he did with those children," Czekanski added. "I began helping him with the drive about three years ago and I always came away with a great appreciation for what he was doing. I felt blessed to be a part of it and thankful that I could give some comfort to children and families that were suffering."
In 2003, Bianco's toy drive began to get support from local organizations and was receiving funding from the veterans com- mittee to extend the project. In recent years, toys that were left over after all the local distributions were complete were packaged and shipped to an orphanage in Vietnam.
A communicant at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Bianco was well known throughout the parish for his generous ways. Monsignor Joseph Shenrock, who spoke at the memorial service, said that there wouldn't have been room in the church had everyone whose life he touched attended the service. His generosity reached thousands.
"I'm wondering what will happen now that Phil is gone. I hope someone continues his work," said Czekanski. "It's a very important event every year. It should be continued."
Donations in his memory can be made to: Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 510, PO Box 448, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009, to help support the toy drive.
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