Long Island City bid farewell to its unofficial mayor on Tuesday as hundreds attended a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on Vernon Boulevard Frank Carrado was a beloved link to the past of what is now the fastest-growing neighborhood in the country prior to his death last week following complications from a stroke. He was 89.

“Frank was many things for our neighborhood. Historian, community advocate and unofficial mayor,” Hunters Point Civic Association President Brent O’Leary said. “He was a lovely person always ready with a story and to lend a hand. He will always be part of what makes this neighborhood special.”