Blood Drive in Memory of Al “Funzi” Frangipane Comes During National Blood Crisis

A Sullivan County family is honoring the life of longtime volunteer Al “Funzi” Frangipane by asking the community to do something he did for much of his life: give blood.

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive in Frangipane’s memory Friday, Aug. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Garnet Health Medical Center Catskills in Harris.

The drive comes as the Red Cross is warning of an unusually severe national shortage. In July, the organization declared only the second national blood supply crisis in its history, saying donations had fallen to a four-year summer low. The Red Cross said hospital demand has remained high and that it has been forced to limit distributions of type O blood to hospitals.

It has urged eligible donors to make appointments as soon as possible, saying all blood types are needed.

For Denise Frangipane, the timing gives particular meaning to a drive honoring her father.

Al was a longtime blood donor and had a rare clotting factor that made his donations particularly valuable, Denise said. He would sometimes receive calls when there was an emergency and regularly donated blood.

“He was always an advocate of the blood drives,” she said.

Frangipane was also a Red Cross disaster-response volunteer. Denise said he responded to local floods and, along with his wife, Maria, traveled to Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attacks as Red Cross volunteers.

The experience reinforced for the family the importance of maintaining blood supplies outside major disasters.

“Sometimes we don’t know that the in-between time is as critical,” Denise said. “And the blood banks have to stay stocked.”

That need became personal for the family. Toward the end of his life, Al became a blood recipient himself and required regular transfusions.

His commitment to service extended well beyond blood donation. Denise said he volunteered with the Lions Club, particularly supporting sight and hearing programs for children, and was involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He also helped organize an annual golf outing supporting the Lions Club and St. Jude.

Denise said she believes her father would be pleased to see people donating in his memory.

“I think he would, if he were here, he would be working the phones calling people,” she said.

Editor’s Note: Garnet Health and Sullivan 180, where Denise Frangipane is CEO, are financial supporters of Radio Catskill.

Image: Al “Funzi” Frangipane passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. He was 86 years old. (Contributed Photo)