Lou Grasso 1934 - 2021

Lou was born in 1934 in Brooklyn, New York. After serving in the US Army he married his lovely wife Joanne in 1959 and they were blessed with two daughters, Carolyn and Lisa. Carolyn married Richard Prince and they in turn were blessed with Lou's grandson, Michael. Lou owned a successful graphics art design firm, "Lou Grasso Associates" (which his daughters Carolyn and Lisa now run) and among his many accounts were the likes of Nabisco, Kraft, Toblerone, and NYAROC. The last was Lou's baby as his art work helped to shape the club's image for the greater part of 20 years. From the club's logo, to updating the National Club's logo, to the production of every award NYAROC ever created, to promotional art work for club events and creating our logo for the National AROC Convention in 2015, Lou did it all. Not only did he do it all, but in typical Lou Grasso fashion, he benevolently offered his services without any concern for compensation. You see, Lou was one of these truly rare individuals who was naturally generous and loved making people happy. His affable demeanor and selfless goodwill were evident in every act and deed, and he got great pleasure from the experiences he had and the many friends he met after getting involved with the NYAROC.

Lou was proud of his entire family and their many accomplishments. A family man first and foremost, Lou would often speak of his beloved daughters and his son in law Richard. Then, there was his grandson Michael, the apple of his eye. When he first brought Michael to watch his favorite event, a New York Rangers hockey game, you could sense that Lou was in heaven. His love for his New York Rangers was second only to his love for family, and his generosity in treating friends to Rangers games was well known. He was truly a giving man and an honest and sincere friend, someone you could always count on and whose word was gospel.

We are all better off for knowing Lou and NYAROC will forever hold a tremendous debt to his talent and vision. He loved the club and he has left an indelible mark on NYAROC that will live forever. May God bless you Lou. You were a great friend and an inspiration to all of us and have served as someone to emulate when it comes to being "a gentleman"
- Richard Prince