Michael John Betzag

Michael Betzag passed away on February 20, 2026. Michael grew up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, raised by his father (Michael) and mother (Marie). Michael was an avid fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers until they broke the hearts of thousands by moving to Los Angeles. He switched his allegiance to the New York Mets later on. Michael was also an avid fan of the New York football Giants, and remained so throughout his life.

After attending Grover Cleveland High School, Michael enlisted in the US Army in the fall of 1962, joining just prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was mostly stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was honorably discharged.

Michael began work for NY Telephone as a coin collecter in 1967, later moving up to telephone installation. He spent 27 years with the organization, which later became known as NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, and Verizon. Michael once went over 16 years without taking a sick day during his time there. Michael’s last years with Verizon were spent as a sales engineer for videoconferencing services. After leaving Verizon, Michael spent another 15 years in the videoconferencing industry.

Michael married Pat Siesto, and the two were married for 51 years until Pat’s death in 2020. They lived in Dyker Heights and raised two sons – Michael (who married Karen Sforza), and Todd (who married Tara Randis). Michael and Pat had five grandchildren – Michael, Ashley, Elise, Jake and Andrew. After Pat’s death, Michael moved to Rockville Center, NY.

As a widower, Michael remained active in his community, as a member of the American Legion. Michael was also elected as an officer of a local senior organization. He participated in many charitable causes in his senior years, including volunteer work with a local Ronal McDonald House.

Michael was an exception athlete – both in his teens (when he was invited him to play in adult softball games due to his talent), and in his forties and fifties, when he excelled in a softball league playing against players half his age.

Michael was an avid fan of history (especially World War II), as one of his favorite TV shows was “Victory at Sea,” which chronicled the US Victory in the Pacific. He was also a fan of the movies of John Wayne. He enjoyed books by Tom Clancy, as well as the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child.