Henry “Hank“ PfefferHank was born on November 2, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York, the 4^th of 5 children of Celia and Jack Pfeffer. Growing up during the Great Depression wasn’t easy, but Hank picked up some important lessons that would serve him well. He learned how to work hard, how to live within his means and how to treat people with respect no matter what their circumstances.After graduating from Jefferson High School, he joined the Navy during the Second World War where he served on battleships (USS Midway was one) in the Philippines and in Okinawa.  He survived a ship fire and was hospitalized for burns. He also experienced a typhoon on an island that left him and his fellow sailors without clothes, food and shelter.  After the war, he worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a ship welder before launching a 40-year career as The Milkman of Howard Beach and Ozone Park.After marrying Josephine Lo Bello (“Jo”) of New York City in 1952, he left New York City for the wilds of Massapequa Park in 1954 with wife, infant son Frank and mother-in-law.  Jim, Joanne, Cathy, Tommy, Michael, Margaret and Ellie followed over the next twelve years.  He left the house at midnight each night. Over those years, Hank helped feed many families in addition to his own. When a customer wasn’t able to pay his bill, Hank would continue to deliver the milk. He never took a single night off, not when he had the flu, not when he fractured his arm falling on ice, not when a blizzard dumped four feet of snow. No matter how tired he was from nights of hard labor, he always found time to play and laugh with his wife and children. Despite a chronic lack of sleep due to a noisy household, he lost his patience only a few memorable times. He sold his business after a hip replacement forced him into retirement.The in-ground pool Hank put in the backyard was the source of great joy for him.  It wasa gathering place and many of the neighborhood kids learned to swim in it.During his long and happy retirement, Hank played tennis and swam. He played cards with his buddies at John J. Burns Park where they regularly complained that he “always won”. His license plate read, “I‘d rather be in Atlantic City,” where he often went to invest his children’s inheritance.He loved his family and he was a compassionate man. His increased dedication to his wife, Jo, and daughter Ellie these recent years was heartwarming to watch.  He was definitely an “actions speak louder than words” kind of guy.  He never missed a chance to demonstrate his love, his generosity generous and his love of all people. He made sure to laugh every day.Besides his wife, Jo, and their children and their spouses, he is survived by the grandchildren he adored: Justin, Michael Cullom, Lauren, Liz, Kate, Tommy James, Jade, Luke, Jess, Megan, Jake, Danielle and Madison, and his “adopted son” Tommy Fitzgerald. He also leaves behind his beloved sister, Lila Zitovsky, and numerous nieces and nephews.Hank had boundless optimism, a joy for living and a great sense of humor.  He was a magnificent husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.