Steven J. Cannizaro

Steven J. Cannizaro, a former Times-Picayune reporter with a wry sense of humor, a wide range of interests and a talent for imposing order onto a complex story, died Monday at his Chalmette home. He was 71.

No cause of death has been established, his wife, Joan Cannizaro, said, but he had been beset by health problems, including Leukemia, kidney cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

"He cracked jokes every step of the way, as if it were going to be his last," said Mike Perlstein, a colleague in the newspaper’s St. Bernard/Plaquemines Bureau. “He always kept his sense of humor, no matter what.”

“I remember when he came back from cancer surgery,” said Joanna Weiss, who also was a reporter in the bureau. “There was a scar all around his body, and there he was at work, still trucking. He loved life and was going to keep on going. He reveled in the absurdity of life and commented on it, recognizing it as part of the fun of life.”

But Cannizaro was serious about his craft. When Hurricane Georges struck in 1998, he was on the outer levee alongside the National Guard, facing the brutal wind and lashing rain, said Karen Turni Bazile, a colleague. “He was unfazed. … There are times when you go above and beyond, and that’s what he did to get the story.”

“I could always count on him to find something wry and keep me focused and keep me from getting lost in the minutiae,” Turni Bazile said. “He did that with his life, too. He was a straight shooter."

His political views were decidedly progressive, said Kim Gritter, another colleague. “He made no apologies for his opinions, but he was polite about expressing them." She added, "He was a very kind soul."

A lifelong resident of the New Orleans area, Cannizaro grew up in the Lower 9th Ward – Fats Domino was a neighbor – and he graduated from Holy Cross High School and LSU. He joined The Times-Picayune staff after working on newspapers in Jackson and Cleveland, Mississippi, his wife said.

Colleagues remembered marveling at Cannizaro’s encyclopedic memory, especially his knowledge of Saints trivia, and the speed with which he could turn out a story.

On a typical story, Gritter said, Cannizaro would start by typing his byline on his computer, then scanning the newspaper before going to lunch. “He wouldn’t start making calls until around 2,” she said, “but he would always be done by 5.”

During baseball season, Cannizaro always called his bookie after filing a story, said Dan DeLeo, a sports reporter in the bureau.

Weiss came to the newspaper after graduating from Harvard. “When I came as an outsider to New Orleans, he embodied all the things that made me love New Orleans,” she said. “He loved life and rolled with it.”

In addition to covering St. Bernard Parish, Cannizaro’s beats included federal court, and he won awards from the Press Club of New Orleans and the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Association. After being a reporter for 27 years, Cannizaro went to work for St. Bernard Parish government and then the Sheriff's Office, where he was public information officer for nine years until he retired in 2017.

Steven was preceded in death by parents Leon and Christine Cannizaro. In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, Ross Cannizaro (Brandi) of Houston; a daughter, Rachel Saybe of Metairie; a brother, Gary Cannizaro (Susan) of Mandeville; and grandchildren Kade Cannizaro, Riley Cannizaro, Whitney Saybe, Peyton Saybe, and Parker Cannizaro.

A Visitation for Steven will be held Monday, December 26, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70124, followed by Words of Remembrance from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. A private Interment will be held on a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations dedicated to the American Heart Association.