Obituary

John Scaduto, public finance attorney and former Nassau County, N.Y., treasurer, passed away on Friday. He was 84.

Mr. Scaduto served as treasurer, supervising the county's tax-exempt bond sales, from 1971 until he retired from that post in 1992 and joined Nixon Peabody LLP.

"His prior experience as the CFO of Nassau County certainly gave him a lot of insight into the challenges of our governmental clients," said fellow attorney Peter White, who described Mr. Scaduto as a mentor. He was "an amazing client developer and an amazing manager ... It's a big loss."

Mr. Scaduto helped the firm build its current public finance practice and dealt with its New York clients, said fellow attorney Arthur McMahon Jr.

"He had great financial acumen and great understanding of state and municipal government, of how they worked and how to make those things work," McMahon said. "His passion was work and his family. He was a fine human being."

Mr. Scaduto was known as a tireless and energetic attorney who took few vacations and would call into the office even when on trips. He worked at Nixon Peabody until he slipped into a coma a week ago, following a seizure.

An infantryman in World War II, Mr. Scaduto was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war he remained active in the Army Reserves, attaining the rank of colonel. At one time he had aspirations to become an opera singer, and although his life took a different path, he was known to sit at the piano and regale his friends with "Danny Boy." He was also an avid tennis player.

Mr. Scaduto attended Cornell University and Seton Hall University and earned his law degree at St. John's University in the 1950s. He worked in commercial law on Long Island before coming into government. He was active on the Nassau County Republican Committee and was at one time leader of the Long Beach Republicans. He served as president of the New York Government Finance Officers Association in 1982 and 1983. He was admitted to practice in New York and the Eastern and Southern District Federal Courts of New York and was a member of the Nassau County Bar Association.

Mr. Scaduto is survived by his wife Jeanne, four daughters, and grandchildren.

A viewing is scheduled for today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Macken Mortuary in Rockville Centre, N.Y. A mass will be held tomorrow at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Island Park, Long Island, at 9:15 a.m. The burial is at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury.

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