Longtime Pacific Palisades resident Santo (Sandy) Lanzarotta passed away on September 6, supported by the loving presence of his wife of 54 years, Kathleen (Kassie). He was 78. Sandy was born September 30, 1928, in Steubenville, Ohio. His family moved to California in 1943 and settled in the San Gabriel Valley. He attended Cathedral High School and graduated from Loyola University in 1951. Sandy’s role as editor of Loyola’s newspaper led him to meet Kathleen Ann Matthews, the newspaper editor of sister school Immaculate Heart College, and they were married on Valentine’s Day in 1953. Sandy served as a corporal in the U.S. Army forces in Salzburg, Austria from 1951 to 1953, during the Korean War. He was editor of the Sentinel, an Army newspaper, and his writers included future Washington Post journalist David S. Broder. ‘I never found out who was responsible for sending me to Austria,’ Sandy told the Palisadian-Post in 2003, ‘but I bless them every day.’ He had trained in heavy weapons infantry but never was sent to Korea. Sandy was a talented writer and critical thinker whose early path in journalism led him in 1957 to become the first editor of Datamation, which became the leading magazine of the emerging computer industry. This was followed by a distinguished career in public relations that included management positions at IBM and Scientific Data Systems, culminating in his position as Director of Corporate Affairs, Western Operations, for Xerox Corporation. Among his many accomplishments at Xerox, Sandy initiated the company’s involvement with the Olympics and managed its sponsorship of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games of 1984, 1988 and 1992. He also established and managed Xerox’s customer publication, Benchmark Magazine. Sandy moved his family to the Huntington Palisades from Chappaqua, New York, in 1969. An active member of Corpus Christi Parish for over 30 years, Sandy served as usher at Sunday Mass and, with Kassie, edited the parish bulletin and directory for a number of years. Three of their children attended Corpus Christi School. Sandy was an avid reader who in retirement enjoyed traveling, music, movies and spending time with his family. He was a devoted husband and father. In addition to his wife of 54 years, he is survived by three sons, Steven of Culver City and Mark and Matthew of Pacific Palisades; two daughters, Kathleen of Culver City and Molly of Boston; eight grandchildren; and sisters Nancy and Aurelia. Funeral services will be held today, September 13, at 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to St. Joseph’s Center, 204 Hampton Drive, Venice, CA 90291.
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