Derrick L. Leuci 51 passed away Thursday morning, August 15, 2019, surrounded by his loving family, after a courageous battle for many years with kidney disease.
He was predeceased by his parents Leonardo and Sandra (Scanlon) Leuci.
Derrick is survived by his wife, Amanda (Lane) Leuci, daughters, Erin Mahar and Natalie Leuci, brother, Dr. Domenico (Jess) Leuci, sister, Francesca Leuci, his mother-in-law, Jody Romanowski, nieces, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Derrick was a kind and funny man. He loved his cats, harness racing, music, routing for the New York Jets and Mets, cooking and going to the beach. Besides being a wonderful cook, Derrick will be remembered for his "super fun and easy" scalloped potatoes and his vegan chocolate cake. He was a historian of WWII and John F. Kennedy and aficionado of the "Sopranos" and "Nick and Nora's Playlist". Derrick was also a frequent flyer at Red's Kettle Inn and at Giblins.
He was a disc jockey at WAAL for many years, working at night, known as "Derrick Black". An avid fan of Kings X and Prince, Derrick's favorite musicians, they were who influenced him to get into radio. He managed many fast food restaurants locally for many years, most recent the Main Street Johnson City McDonald's Restaurant, until his disease forced him to retire.
More recently, Derrick was a volunteer for Every Dog's Dream Rescue for the past 5 years. He enjoyed planning fundraising events and fostering kittens and cats. As a kidney organ donor recipient, Derrick was a big advocate for the importance of promoting and educating others about organ donation.
A funeral mass will be offered on Saturday, August 24, 2019, at 10am at Church of the Holy Trinity, 346 Prospect Street, Binghamton where the family will receive friends from 9am until the time of the mass.
Because of Derrick's love of rescued cats and dogs, in lieu of flowers, please consider contributing in his memory to Every Dog's Dreams Rescue, inside Petco, 420 Harry L. Drive, Johnson City, NY 13790.
Kindly share your reflections of Derrick on his guestbook at Chopyak-Scheider.com.