Tony Fusco, longtime coach, teacher and principal at Wyandanch High School, dies at 89

Tony Fusco was a one-man support system to those around him.

Whether it was as a coach at Wyandanch Memorial High School, or as the treasurer of Islip’s Trinity Lutheran Church, or simply as a father or grandfather, Fusco spent his life showing up for others.

Even if it was for something silly, he wanted to be there to support those he loved — like his only granddaughters, Alexandra and Julia Fusco.

Alexandra Fusco, 23, of Bayport, was a midfielder for the Stony Brook University women’s lacrosse team before graduating in 2025 and is studying to become a nurse. Her 20-year-old sister, Julia, is also a midfielder for Stony Brook, playing in her junior year.

But long before they were starring on the lacrosse field, they were putting on performances at their small family gatherings, and their grandfather gleefully served as their biggest (and perhaps, only) fan.

“I remember my sister and I would put on these productions in the living room, with these costumes on, and I would just make everyone sit there and listen to me sing while Julia would dance in the background,” Alexandra Fusco said, laughing through her recollection. “Of course, no one wanted to sit there and watch that for hours, but he would. He’d sit there smiling and clapping like he was the happiest person in the world.

“I was so bad at the clarinet, but he would just sit there and listen to me practice,” she continued. “I know it was God-awful, but he would just sit there, smiling with his phone, always taking these videos of us. He was always so proud of us, and I guess he just wanted to show us off.”

Tony Fusco, of Bay Shore, died  on July 23 from congestive heart failure, according to his son, Peter Fusco. He was 89.

Tony Fusco was born in Manhattan in 1937, and moved to Malverne when he was 13.

He met his wife, Barbara, at Malverne High School , where he became a standout wrestler. After graduating in 1956, he attended the University of Missouri and continued to wrestle before graduating in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in education. He and Barbara were married in 1962.

That same year, they bought a house in Bay Shore — where they spent the rest of their days together. He got a job as a biology teacher at Wyandanch High. Fusco immediately became the school’s varsity football coach. Later that winter, he took the role of its varsity wrestling coach, and then took over the school’s varsity boys track and field team in the spring. He held all three positions for eight years.

Fusco coached Wyandanch to a share of the Suffolk League IV football championship in 1966. The kicker for that team — Warren Fuller — later became a teacher at Wyandanch under Fusco. Fuller coached the varsity girls basketball team for 33 years, winning a Suffolk-record 579 games.

“He was very dynamic as a coach,” Fuller said. “Great halftime speeches. He knew his players and their limits. He did a great job.”

Once Fuller became one of Fusco’s teachers, he did not stop coaching him.

“When I became a teacher, he became a mentor for me,” Fuller said. “He showed me the ropes of how to deal with situations with the kids. He had a way of convincing you that you were the best guy for the job, so you couldn’t say no to him. He was very patient and willing to help you out to make sure you were doing well. He was probably the most influential person in my life, especially educationally.”

Fusco stopped coaching varsity sports in 1970 once he was promoted to assistant principal. In 1984, he became the principal, and held that role for the next eight years until his retirement in 1992, completing his 30-year career, all in the same school district.

“It was tough in the beginning, but he loved Wyandanch,” said Peter Fusco, 61, of Bayport. “That was his home."

When he first moved to Bay Shore, Fusco joined Trinity Lutheran Church and remained an active member until his death. He served as the church’s treasurer, and later led its finance committee. He became its director of its charitable golf outings, which raised money for its food bank.

While at Wyandanch, he co-founded the high school’s scholarship committee, which raised money for the students who were about to move onto college and needed help paying tuition. He stayed on the committee until the last year of his life.

“He knew a lot of these kids came from difficult circumstances,” Peter Fusco said. “He knew if there was ever anything he could make their lives a little brighter and better, he would do that.”

In addition to his wife, son and granddaughters, he is survived by his daughter-in-law, Mary. A wake was held July 27 at Overton Funeral Home in Islip with a funeral July 28 at Trinity Lutheran.