Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro recognized Tony and Bernadette Misita as the Erie County Legislature September 2021 Citizens of the Month Thursday afternoon.

The Misitas lost their son Randy to suicide at the age of 21 in 1987. Randy was a student at UB with a bright future ahead of him. According to the Misitas, he showed no signs of depression and didn’t talk about his feelings before ending his life. After dealing with the tragic loss, Tony and Bernadette began leading the local chapter of Bereaved Parents USA to help other families struggling. The Misitas were joined by their daughter Angela as Legislator Todaro presented them with a proclamation thanking them for their efforts to shine light on a dark subject and help those in need.

Legislator Todaro said, “The purpose of the Legislature’s Citizen of the Month presentation is to recognize those who make our community a better place. After experiencing their own grief, Tony, Bernadette, and Angela have done so much to help those struggling with the loss of a loved one here in Erie County. Suicide is a difficult topic and they have spent decades raising awareness and helping others. I can’t thank the Misita family enough for everything they have done after tragically losing their son, Randy, who was a bright and talented young man. I appreciate them sharing their story and I am honored to name them Erie County’s Citizens of the Month for September of 2021.”

Tony Misita said, “It is a powerful loss when somebody that you love dies, it is magnified even more when it is a child and suicide just complicates all of that even more. Whatever we can do as a whole, it is time to do it. It is time to not let this moment go away because there is help out there. Today’s world is so different. COVID has whipped everything around. So many people are in dark spots, but those dark spots are not always that dark. We want to take all the negative energy I got when my son died and turn it into something positive.”

A copy of the Citizen of the Month proclamation given to the Misitas can be viewed here.