Lilly Horner, of Centerport, passed away on Feb. 21, at 89 years of age. She was the beloved mother of Christian (Carolyn) Horner; loving grandmother of Michael (Carson Newton) Horner, Thomas (Dani) Brennan and Catherine Horner; and dear sister of Gunnhildur Sugurdardottir, Nannabjorg Sigurdardottir and the late Bergsveinn Sigurdsson.
Visiting hours were held at Nolan Funeral Home in Northport on Feb. 24. Cremation was private. Donations in Lilly’s name may be made to The Wounded Warrior Project ( www.woundedwarriorproject.org).
Madeline C. Smith, of Kings Park, formerly of East Northport, passed away on Feb. 18 at 95 years of age.
She was the beloved wife of the late Warren and loving mother of Nancy Petit, Lisa Meinecke, Peggy Ann Smith, and the late Robert Smith; the cherished grandmother of Jennifer Fargnoli, Ryan Smith, Gina Neary, Kelly Brady, Steven Meinecke, and Katie Kostuk and the devoted great grandmother of Kira, Alyssa, Lea, Lindsay, Madeline and Layla. She was the dear sister of Marion Bopp.
The Funeral Mass was held at Feb. 28 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in East Northport. Cremation was private.
Michael Piersa, of East Northport, passed away on Feb. 27 at 61 years of age.
Piersa was the beloved son of Patricia and the late George M. Piersa, the loving brother of Theresa, Apel, Barbara Piersa and John Piersa and the dear uncle of Jonathan, James, Kaitlin, Ashley, Jacqueline and Mikayla. He was great uncle to Arriana and Emma.
Visiting to take place Tuesday, March 4, from 5-8 p.m. at Nolan Funeral Home, 5 Laurel Ave, Northport. Family and friends will gather at the funeral home Wednesday, March 5,at 10 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. prayer service with Friar Valentine officiating. A burial will follow at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Michael’s memory to People’s Arc of Suffolk would be greatly appreciated.
Barbara Louise Muttitt Thomas, age 93, of Brentwood, NY, died on Feb. 10. The cause of death was heart failure.
Born March 22, 1931, in Port Jefferson, Thomas was the daughter of the late John S. Muttitt and Ruth Schmeelk Muttitt. She was married to Charles L. Thomas (deceased) with whom she had three children. They later divorced. She lived in the Setauket area most of her life and used the surroundings of the area as subjects of her paintings. Thomas developed quite a talent. Her artwork is prized by her family and friends. In 1984 she moved to Hartwell, GA, to be near her mother.She was a secretary for the Department of Art at the University of Georgia, Athens. In 1992, she returned to Setauket to help care for her daughter’s two young boys.She was a longtime member of Setauket United Methodist Church where she sang in the choir and led Bible studies.
Thomas is survived by two sons, Glenn Thomas of Santa Clara, UT, and Mark Thomas of Heathsville, VA; sisters, Lillian Muttitt of Patchogue, and Shirley Kowalski of Hartwell, GA; and by grandsons Jared Thomas, Charlie Thomas, Peter Steinert and Kristopher Steinert.She was preceded in death by daughter Sharon Thomas Steinert of Setauket and brother Dennis Muttitt of Hartwell, GA.
Thomas donated her body to the medical school at SUNY, Stony Brook. A memorial service will be held at Setauket United Methodist Church in May.
Jean Prysock, who passed away on June 28, 2024 at the age of 97 in North Carolina, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy and The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook is a big part of that story. Prysock, who was married to jazz great Arthur Prysock, was never one to take a back seat and embodied the old adage that if “you want something done, give it to a busy person.”
Her life was full with volunteer work and helping others. In her later years she became a key spark in establishing The Jazz Loft (TJL). As a founding board member, Prysock worked with founder and president Tom Manuel, attending initial meetings with The Ward Melville Heritage Organization board and their President, Gloria Rocchio, as the idea of TJL became a reality.
Tom Manuel and Jean Prysock
“Jean tirelessly worked public relations for The Jazz Loft when we first opened in 2014,” Manuel said. “She donated her husband’s archives and that was a big addition to our collections. It opened the door for others that followed. She was an incredible mentor to me, and a real pioneer in so many shapes and forms, and more importantly, one of my dearest friends.”
Born and raised in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, Prysock graduated from Franklin K. Lane High School, receiving awards for her dedication to others and her athletic abilities.
Prysock was married to Arthur for 49 years. The couple met at the Savoy nightclub, where Arthur was performing with the Buddy Johnson Band.
“My dad thought my mom would be an easy pickup, but she wasn’t,” laughed daughter Jeanartta. But Prysock’s best friend Gloria was dating Arthur’s brother and that made for an introduction.
They were married on June 6, 1948.
They bought their first home in Jamaica, N.Y. Arthur and Prysock loved to entertain and their home was known for great parties, good food and the best BBQ around. Christmas Eve parties were Prysock’s specialty and people came from far and wide, which eventually required her to transform the party into a ticketed dinner-dance.
Following Arthur’s death in 1997, Prysock did not slow down, filling her days with a variety of volunteer opportunities and positions on advisory boards.
Prysock volunteered at the Veterans Hospital in St. Albans, Goldwater Hospital and Harlem Hospital. Prysock organized shows for the patients at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, featuring her talented husband. She was active in the PTA at P.S. 140 in Queens. She eventually received a position on the P.S. 140 Board of Education, and headed the Higher Horizons program.
In addition to her school and community work, the sport of bowling called. For 22 years Prysock volunteered at Cardinal Lanes, and had a league of young bowlers known as the Prysock Junior Bowlers. Bowling became a big part of her life. Through communication with Charlie Venable, a pro bowler, she got involved with the pro bowlers at Paramus Lanes, becoming a sponsor of the team The Prysock Five. Jean was the first female recipient of an award for dedication to the world of bowling.
“You couldn’t tell my mom ‘no’ to anything,” remembers Jeanartta. “That just made her more determined. She would find a way.”
When a local Portuguese family suffered a house fire resulting in the death of several children, Jean organized a fundraising effort to raise money so that the family could relocate to a new home.
Even though the community was divided by race, income and ethnicity, Jean brought everyone together and not only raised enough money for the family to buy a new home, but she also organized an interracial-interfaith group hoping to bring better understanding between all people.
The National Conference of Christians and Jews presented her the Ambassador of Good Will award and she was also recognized by local professional business groups and was named to the Nassau County Advisory Board of Volunteers Services.
Prysock leaves behind two daughters, Jeanartta and Jeanine; grandchildren Jara, Arthur, and Jeanisha; and great grandchildren Kiya, Kaily, and Hibiki..
Prysock’s motto was “Respect yourself and others will do the same. And remember no one owes you anything. Learn to love, learn to be better and the world will become a better place to live. When you help someone else up the hill, you help yourself.
Rolone “Lonie” Polhemus passed away peacefully in Huntington, New York on Feb. 16. She is survived by her sons, Sidney, Bradford and Tyler; nieces Stacey, Heather, Wendy and Bonnie; nephew Lindsey; grandchildren Jessica and Kyle; and great grandchildren James and Judah. She is predeceased by her husband, Sidney Polhemus; parents William and Opal DeRolf; and sisters Marvis Fast and Ardyn Hontz.
Growing up in Floral Park, New York, Polhemus was both of her time and ahead of her time. She loved music of the 40’s and adored watching and playing sports, so much so that she studied physical education at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania. Later on, by working in her father’s book and greeting card store, she gained the experience of working in a retail establishment and a love of learning – both of which would ultimately play major roles in her life.
Upon marrying Sid Polhemus, Polhemus moved to Centerport, New York and became, in her words, “Martha Stewart before there was a Martha Stewart” with various creative projects that once a year included some rather memorable Halloween costumes for her sons.
Some years later, the family moved to Dayville, Connecticut and Polhemus’ family began a new chapter in their lives. Polhemus quickly became well-known to her sons’ teachers for her commitment to their education and her refreshing, outspoken nature.
While Polhemus possessed an often spicy sense of humor, she was also a shrewd, determined businesswoman. With her husband Sid, Polhemus started The Bargain Sleuth, a surprisingly sophisticated local boutique store business in Northeastern Connecticut’s Quiet Corner in 1974. Polhemus was not only able to continue the business after her husband’s untimely death in 1979, but successfully expanded it to multiple locations.
After closing the business in 1997, Polhemus pushed the envelope of what it meant to be retired and continued her interest in art, history and ancient cultures with many courses at Quinebaug Valley Community College as part of the Learning in Retirement (LIR) program. Via Books on Tape, Lonie also was an avid reader and belonged to a book club where she kept up with the latest in fiction.
Although she struggled with vision at times in life, she maintained an astonishing eye for color, clothing and jewelry and her creativity and worldly outlook inspired many.
Polhemus was an original – forward-thinking, forever curious, resourceful, unconventional, a savvy bridge player, and generous to a fault – but she will always be especially remembered fondly for her quick, colorful, irreverent wit.
A celebration of Polhemus and her life will be held later this year in the Huntington, New York area.
Bernadette Bergholm of Northport died on Feb. 4 at 87 years of age. She was the beloved mom of David Bergholm, Gary, Lorraine Rossi,and the late Stephen; the loving grandma of Stephen Jr., Anthony, Ryan, Hailey, Jack and the late Kyle; and the cherished great grandmother of Stephen. She is predeceased by her dear sisters Baby Mae, Catherine Wilhelm and Margaret Dolan-Lief.
Bergholm worked for 35 plus years in the real estate industry for several local Real Estate firms as a broker and most recently Douglas Elliman in Cold Spring Harbor.
Ronald Barry Strasberg was born in Syracuse in 1942 and grew up in Carle Place, Long Island. A gifted athlete, he excelled in baseball, football, basketball and track and field, earning a place in the Carle Place High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also one of the fastest men in New York State, competing in the prestigious Penn Relays.
Ronald Barry Strasberg
After graduating in 1960, he was offered a football scholarship as a running back at Ohio State but chose Brown University for its academics, where he played rugby.
Strasberg went on to have a successful career as a pilot, flying for Eastern Airlines, later Trump Shuttle, and ending his career with the U.S. Air. He loved being in the skies and took great pride in his work.
Beyond his professional and athletic achievements, Strasberg was known for his charm, quick wit and kindness. He had a sharp mind, an insatiable curiosity and a love for words—famously completing the New York Times Sunday crossword in under an hour, always in ink.
In his adult life, he was also an accomplished tennis player, winning multiple championships throughout the 1970s and 1980s at the Old Field Club and the Three Village Tennis Club on Long Island. At the age of 40, he became a top-five tennis player on the East Coast.
Whether on the court, in the cockpit or among friends and family, Ron approached life with passion and dedication.
He was married to Patti Hopper Strasberg for 58 years. Strasberg’s love for his wife was unwavering and deep, and together they created a beautiful life full of memories, laughter and mutual respect. He was a devoted father to his two sons, Michael and Robert Strasberg, and a proud grandfather to six wonderful grandchildren, who have inherited many of his best qualities.
Strasberg passed away Feb 2. after 13 years with Alzheimer’s disease. His legacy of friendship, good humor and warmth will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
If you would like to make a donation in his memory please consider,
Alzheimer Dementia Resource center ADRCcares.org or Share The Care HelpForCaregivers.org
Eileen Katherine Hull of Port Jefferson passed away on Jan. 22, 2025 at the age of 89. Beloved wife of Henry Hull (1933-2024), born in Middletown, she was the daughter of Lawrence Bodle and Dorothy Schwab Bodle of Orange County.
With the softest of voices and the brightest of smiles, Eileen Hull was the epitome of ‘sugar, spice and everything nice’. Henry Hull was devoted to her and she ultimately could not continue without him. The Hull family was built on the incredible love and respect they had for each other.
Jacqueline Hull, Suzanne Wolff, the late Lawrence Henry Hull and Christine Cognetti were her prides and joy. The arrival of her grandchildren Thomas and Sarah Hull; Alexa Jane, Connor Wolff and Ella; and Olivia and Katherine Cognetti brought her endless joy.
An only child, she enjoyed growing up with extended family in Middletown and at their summer cabin on Wolf Lake. Larry Hull was a tradesman working at Clemson Brothers and Dorothy Hull was a school teacher in Circleville. Eileen earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from SUNY New Paltz in 1957, then headed to Long Island where teaching jobs were plentiful. It was there she met a tall blonde man named Henry and her heart was forever his.
Married in April of 1960, Eileen Hull and Henry Hull continued with their careers in education on Long Island and called it home for the rest of their lives. With the birth of Jackie Hull in 1964 and then Sue Hull in 1966 she paused her career to care for her family.
She was always involved in school activities, volunteered at every bake and book sale, shuffled her girls from dance recitals to sporting events and never missed a moment of her greatest role as “Mom”. With Christine’s arrival in 1972 and the move from Eaton’s Neck to Port Jefferson, she continued to build friendships everywhere she went and run an increasingly busy household.
Later, returning to teaching in the Port Jefferson school district allowed her to share her love of learning. For those that were fortunate enough to work with her, their lives were touched by her endless positivity and relentless encouragement.
Her most cherished role followed: “Gramme”. With the arrival of grandchildren, she hit her stride and formed special relationships with each of them. Whether across town or across the country, she never missed the opportunity to be involved in their lives, writing them sweet notes, reading them books, making them chicken and stars soup and always offering a soft shoulder for them to snuggle up on until the very end.
There were seven hearts that broke in July 2024 with the passing of Henry Hull and now again in January 2025 with the passing of Eileen Hull. We are mourning our loss, but celebrating their love. We know she is smiling down on all of us in her husband’s warm embrace of true love once again.
A celebration of Eileen’s life will be held at Caroline Episcopal Church in May 2025.
Bruce Brownawell, a resident of Cutchogue and longtime professor at Stony Brook University, died on Feb. 2 at East End Hospice’s Kansas Center after battling ALS this past year. He was 67 years old.
Born on Dec. 9, 1957, in Orion, Illinois, Bruce was the son of Eleanor and Jack Brownawell. After High School he went on and earned a B.S. in Chemistry from DePaul University and later received his Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. His postdoctoral research was completed at Oregon State University.
Brownawell married Anne McElroy on August 31, 1991, in River Forest, Illinois. Together, they raised two daughters, Emily Brownawell of Saugerties, NY, and Sarah Brownawell of New York City. He is also survived by his sister, Beth, her husband John and his two nephews Michael and Stephen Piffand many dear cousins.
A dedicated scientist, Brownawell was a professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University from 1989 until his retirement in 2022. His work in organic pollutant geochemistry made significant contributions to the study of wastewater pollutants in marine environments. He was deeply committed to protecting coastal waters, and his expertise was valued by scientists, regulators, and policymakers worldwide. In 2004, he and his wife, Anne, were honored with the Southampton College and Newsday Long Island Environmental Leadership Award for their research. He remained active advising others on environmental issues up until his death.
In 2018, Bruce and Anne moved to Cutchogue, where they took over The Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast, welcoming guests from near and far and sharing their love of locally produced food, wine, beer and the North Fork. Beyond his scientific career, Bruce had a passion for gardening and community service. He was involved with Cornell Gardeners, the Hallockville Museum Farm Garden Committee, the Landcraft Garden Foundation, and the Custer Observatory Bee Club. He also loved to fish, spending any free time out on the water in his boat The Alchemist.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 1:00 pm at Setauket Presbyterian Church (5 Caroline Ave, Setauket/East Setauket) officiated by Rev. Johanna Wagner. Prior to moving to Cutchogue Bruce was an active member of the Setauket Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and elder.
Bruce will be remembered for his deep dedication to science, his kindness as a mentor, and his love for his family, community and protecting the environment.
In lieu of flowers, Bruce’s family suggests friends consider donating to The Landcraft Garden Foundation, Compassionate Care ALS, or ALS Ride for Life. Organizations he valued or who helped him immensely.
The family is being assisted by DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck.
Growing up in Floral Park, New York, Polhemus was both of her time and ahead of her time. She loved music of the 40’s and adored watching and playing sports, so much so that she studied physical education at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania. Later on, by working in her father’s book and greeting card store, she gained the experience of working in a retail establishment and a love of learning – both of which would ultimately play major roles in her life.
Prev
