John Miro, Nassau crossing guard killed in crash, recalled as 'a great man with a great reputation'

As a tugboat captain for five decades, John Miro knew how to lend a helping hand.

So when he retired, Miro found it natural to help people in another way: as a Nassau County school crossing guard.

“He was so helpful to everybody,” said his wife, Nancy Miro, 69, of Massapequa.

A man allegedly under the influence of drugs was driving a pickup truck through the busy intersection of Sunrise Highway and Merrick Avenue in Merrick on Feb. 26 when he struck John Miro, 70. Miro suffered injuries including a punctured lung and skull fractures and died Friday.

Nancy and John Miro first met at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick. They started as friends but got married years later, in 1987. Nancy Miro had two children, Elaine and Paul.

“His ‘special children,’ he used to call them,” Nancy Miro said. “He was a wonderful father.”

Those children gave the longtime couple five grandchildren: Luke, Giavanna, Gabrielle, Paul and Olivia.

His grandchildren were the “apples of his eye,” Nancy Miro said. “He did everything for them, with them.”

He took them to the batting cages, to movies, to the carousel, she said.

Doing what he can to help others was in her husband’s nature, Nancy Miro said. That’s what drew him to a job as a school crossing guard in the neighborhood where they both grew up. 

“He loved to be outside,” she said. “He always, like a little kid, had to be outside.”

His death has struck the tight-knit family hard.

“It’s very tough,” she said. “We’re a very close family, so we’re really having a rough time.”

Prosecutors said the driver of the truck, Joshua Alvarado, 30, of Rosedale, Queens, admitted he had taken Xanax and other drugs. He was initially charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, vehicular assault and second-degree assault. He pleaded not guilty to those charges on Feb. 27.

The Nassau County Police Department said those charges were upgraded to second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault after Miro's death.

Kris Kalender, president of the union that represents crossing guards and other Nassau employees, called Miro “a great man with a great reputation that loved what he did.”

In a statement, local school officials notified families Friday of John Miro’s passing.

“He was a familiar face each morning and afternoon and a reassuring presence," the statement said. "He greeted our children with kindness and patience while helping them cross safely, often brightening their day with a smile or wave. His service to our community was meaningful, and his absence will certainly be felt."

A wake will be held Wednesday at Massapequa Funeral Home’s south chapel. The funeral will be held Thursday at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church in Massapequa.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ