Dr. Nicholas D’Arienzo
12/20/1931 – 8/15/2024
Beloved Queens pediatrician Nicholas D’Arienzo aka “Dr. Nick” passed peacefully in his sleep at his Southampton home on August 15. He was 92. Born to Carmela (nee Dello lacono) and Pete D’Arienzo in 1931, Nick was raised in Greenpoint Brooklyn – “the Garden Spot of the World,” as he was fond of saying. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Clinton Hill, and often noted that four years later, attending college at the original St. John’s University Brooklyn campus took him just one subway stop further on the G line. A member of the illustrious St. John’s Class of ’53, including such notable classmates as Joseph M. Mattone and the Hon. Mario M. Cuomo, D’Arienzo cherished his experiences on the Vincentian campus and forged a number of significant life-long friendships. After St. John’s, D’Arienzo taught himself Italian and headed to the University of Rome La Sapienza, where he earned his medical degree, graduating with honors, and returning home with another circle of life-long friends and a devotion to Rome and Italy that would also last a lifetime.
In 1955, as a young medical student home for the summer, Dr. Nick met the love of his life, a young graphic designer/artist, a senior at Cooper Union named Arlene Poling. They met on the steps of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church just down the street from his childhood home, just blocks from hers. “Who marries a girl like that?” Nick would ask his friends. In 1960, Nick and Arlene wed within the very hallowed halls of the church that bore witness to that first meeting and subsequently built a life together in Forest Hills, Queens. After serving his residency at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Brooklyn, D’Arienzo established himself as one of the premiere pediatricians in the five boroughs at St. John’s Queens Hospital, served on the transition team for newly elected Governor Mario M. Cuomo, and rose to prominence as Chief of Pediatrics at St. John’s and ultimately, as Chief Administrator of the entire hospital. For more than 40 years, he maintained a private pediatric practice right next door to the family home in Forest Hills, and continued to maintain ties to his beloved Brooklyn with Tuesday office hours on Graham Avenue. Dr. Nick’s passions included history, travel, fine wine, fine dining, opera, Italian films, Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, St. John’s Basketball, ice cream, and providing inspiration and encouragement to young people. Predeceased by his beloved wife Arlene, as well as his brother John, he is survived by his son Nicholas, daughter Carmel, and son Dr. Peter and his wife Lizabeth, as well as two grandchildren Isabella and Matthew. Dr. D’Arienzo’s extended family includes an abundance of nieces and nephews, a treasure trove of great-nieces and great-nephews, and even a couple of recent great-grandnephews and great-grandnieces. He was immensely proud to be the family patriarch these many years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the East End Hospice, PO Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, or via their website, www.eeh.org. 
