LI Bagel Shop Closes After Losing Beloved Wife: 'The Love Of My Life'

MANORVILLE, NY — The doors recently closed on the popular Blazin Bagel and Deli in Manorville — after the most unimaginable tragedy left owner Dan Fusaro, his three sons and the community in mourning.

Fusaro lost his wife Kathy in November after a brave and tough battle with breast cancer. He had just turned 55 in October.

Recently, Fusaro posted on social media about the store closing.

“We regret to inform you that Blazin Bagel and Deli has officially closed on December 9, 2024,” he wrote. “Despite our best efforts to maintain the business until my wife's death, unforeseen circumstances forced me to sell Blazin Bagel and Deli throughout this horrible time in my life.”

Fusaro added, “I want to express our deepest appreciation to all of our loyal customers and vendors since I opened my doors with my wife. We love you all and will miss you and all the times we had. Please understand. “

Speaking with Patch, Fusaro explained the decision to sell the shop, so popular it was the 2024 winner of “best bagel,” according to the Best of LI contest, presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

Kathy, she said, was first diagnosed with cancer about four years ago during the pandemic. when it was hard to get a doctor's appointment. When she was finally able to get tested, she learned the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and was Stage 4, she said.

But despite the news, his wife's indomitable spirit carried her away. “Everything was very good,” Fusaro said. “She kept bouncing around – everyone called her a rock star. She worked with me every weekend.”

Everything was going well until one of the tumors progressed and required emergency radiation and chemotherapy for 14 days, he said. “It was too much for her. She couldn't bounce back from it.”

Just before that dark turn, the couple had gone out together, just the two of them. They had built a “beautiful” business, Fusaro said. They had several offers to sell the store or franchise, but had never pursued them. Then, a new offer came up, he said.

“Suddenly, my wife was sitting across from me and said, 'Maybe we should think about it. If we accept the offer, we can go away for two months together on holiday – go away.”

His voice breaking, Fusaro said: “I looked at her and said, 'Okay, whatever you want to do.'

And so, he said, he called the prospective buyer back. “I was hoping to go on that trip with her,” Fusaro said. “We had to try to go to Hawaii. That was one of the places he always wanted to go.”

Reflecting, Fusaro said, “At that dinner, he probably knew something different was going on. So we decided we'd try to sell the business — so we could spend a little more time together.”

The thought of that time with his beloved wife, the precious time, was why he decided to sell, Fusaro said.

From that point on, Fusaro and his wife faced a heartbreaking reality. “It all happened very quickly,” he said. “I accepted the offer, but we couldn't go on the trip. All of a sudden, everything went downhill very quickly. It was horrible.”

The business was sold on December 9. Kathy, he said, died on November 15. “It passed before the sale was completed,” he said.

In the past month and a half, Fusaro barely went to the bagel shop. “I couldn't do it. I couldn't be there that many hours,” he said. “I was with her the whole time.”

His sister came from Florida to run the store.

“After my wife passed, I only went to the store twice, at night, to try to do payroll. One time I went on a weekend and I couldn't even go out to see the customers.”

The pain was very sharp. the memories, everywhere.

But the customers, who had become friends, gathered him in their hearts in an outpouring of love, many went to the wake.

Since opening Blazin Bagel, Fusaro said he has devoted all of his time and energy to the store. “I was there 18 to 20 hours a day. Sometimes I slept in my office because I had to be back there at 3 in the morning to open the ovens.”

But despite the long hours, the difficulty in finding and keeping employees, Fusaro had his wife by his side – his constant support.

“Now I'm on my own,” he said. He and three boys – triplets, she's 22 – will spend their first Christmas without her.

His focus is on his sons, Fusaro said. Two are in college. “I just have to make sure everything is right for them,” he said.

There were moments of unimaginable pain. For the last month and a half of her life, the family had stayed with Kathy's mother, whose house was on one level and easier to navigate.

“The hardest part for me was when he left – it took me two weeks to get home to my house. Imagine that. We were married for 25 years, together for 30. And walking into that house, everything reminded me of Finally, getting to the bedroom — her clothes, her shoes.'

Friends and colleagues at Northwell Mather Hospital also remembered Kathy in a heartfelt tribute.

“As we mourn Kathy's passing, we remember her smile, her kindness and the special bond she shared with so many,” they wrote.

They talked about the Baby Yoda figurines on her desk, photos of her three sons, her love of party planning and the baked goods she loved to share.

“Kathy was loved and appreciated by many members of the Mather Hospital family during her 35-year tenure, first in food services and then in the finance department,” they wrote. “She will be greatly missed.”

A garden bench in Mather's new yard will be dedicated to Kathy.

“He touched so many hearts,” Fusaro said. “She always had a smile on her face.”

He and his wife shared a bond of love and care, he said. “We were always together.”

The pair met at Riverhead Raceway. she was on a racing team and her best friend's husband used to race.

During the pandemic, Fusaro, who was working in another field, turned when he decided to open the bagel shop — it was a dream they had shared, as they had so many dreams since that first night they had met.

Even when he was gone, her deep love for her husband continued to shine brightly. “He must have known how hard it would be to get home. There, in the kitchen drawer, where we keep our papers and keys, I found two notes.”

The notes were left for her loving husband to find when he needed her strength most. Letters from the heart, a testament to a love that will last forever.

“He must have known and hid them from me,” she said. “She was the love of my life.”

His voice filled with tears, he said: “I know she was the one who died, but I almost feel like I'm the one who died. I feel like I'm in hell right now.”

He recalls moments that break his heart: “One night, she was lying there, and she turned her head and looked at me. She never cried, but a tear came out of her eye. “We still had a lot to do,” he told me. “I wanted to see the boys get married.”

Softly, she added, “It's hard for me right now. And it's Christmas.”

In their house there is no tree, no decorations. Not this year, when the grief is still so raw.

But he will move on, with his sons, because that's what Kathy would have wanted, he said. “About family.”

Fusaro, despite his pain, wanted to be sure and thank his customers for their support — and friendship. He said he regrets having to close his doors. “I apologize, but everyone says they understand.”

The GoFundMe, “Supporting the Fusaro Family After Losing The Mother To Cancer,” was created by Zackary Fusaro. To donate, click here.