In Memory of Luke M. Pittoni
It is with deep sorrow that we share the obituary of our firm’s founding partner, Luke M. Pittoni. Luke set the standard of a fierce, loyal and dedicated advocate. While Luke was a fearless and passionate trial lawyer, he was an equally loyal and generous friend and mentor to many. Luke truly broke the mold and he will be sorely missed. We can only hope that we are able to carry his legacy forward in a manner that would make him proud.
Luke Michael Pittoni of Stamford, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024, at Stamford Hospital at the age of 79. He was born in Rockville Centre, NY on May 14, 1945, to the late New York Supreme Court Justice Mario Pittoni and Grace Pittoni.
Luke grew up in Lynbrook, NY, graduated from The College of the Holy Cross and Fordham University School of Law. He began his career as an Associate with Martin, Clearwater & Bell before working in the Law Offices of Anthony Schiavetti as the In-house Counsel to Employer’s Insurance of Wausau. In 1979 at the age of 34, Luke and Bob Heidell founded the law firm Heidell, Pittoni & Moran, which ultimately became Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach (HPM&B) several years later. During his long and distinguished career as a Senior Partner at the firm, he was primarily dedicated to the handling of medical malpractice and medical products liability matters the majority of which were complex and high exposure cases.
His accolades include being listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America (U.S. News & World Report) one of The Best Lawyers in New York (New York Magazine), Who’s Who in American Law and was voted one of the top 20 Medical Malpractice Defense Lawyers in America. He was consistently recognized as a Super Lawyer for New York, Connecticut and New England. He is the Founder and Former President of New York State Medical Defense Bar Association and Former President of the New York City Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).
While he was well known and respected throughout the legal community both by plaintiff and defense attorneys alike, authored numerous articles and publications and lectured across the country, his greatest accomplishments were outside of the courtroom as a devoted husband, proud father, loyal friend and loving “Papa”.
Luke is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Jo; daughters Elizabeth (Dan) Kinnier of Boulder, Kate (Anthony) Tomasino of Norwalk and Ellen (Chris) DelVecchio of Stamford; his five grandchildren who adored him Declan, Fynn, Grace, Luke and Thomas; his brother John Pittoni, sister Sue Coan and all of his extended family and friends.
He and Mary Jo were a package deal; from PTO co-presidents, to travel partners, co-hosts of the annual Pittoni Bocce Party, a singing Birthday telegram duet and parents to “3 girls in 5 years”. Together, they made everything fun and look easy.
Luke enjoyed the simple pleasures in life: good weather, a great (and sometimes even appropriate) joke, Pepsi and Haagen-Dazs, best friends with carrot cake, the Yankees, Giants and UConn women’s basketball team (also known as his other ‘girls’). He loved trips to CVS, the Bahamas and Bermuda, welcoming his three sons into the family, sitting in the front car on Metro North and riding big waves. He was a master in storytelling, mentoring, integrity and ethics, competitive water basketball, generosity and making sure he knew your name. He instilled in his daughters, their friends, his nieces and nephews, and his grandchildren that whether it be personally or professionally, it is never wrong to do the right thing. He was quite literally: everything, to everyone, all the time.
Visitation hours will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m on the afternoon of Sunday, October 6th at the Nicholas F. Cognetta Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Myrtle Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on the morning of Monday, October 7th at 10:30 a.m. at The Church of St. Cecilia, 1184 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT 06905. The interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Baldricks Foundation (https://www.stbaldricks.org/), a cause he actively supported throughout the years that was near and dear to his heart.
To leave a condolence message online, please visit the guestbook hosted on www.cognetta.com.