By Dee Richard
Nettie and Ron were married for 60 years. They had two sons, Lee, an attorney, and Jeffery, an entrepreneur in some sort of computer Internet business.Ron was so proud of both their sons and so happy that he lived long enough to see Lee become a Civil Court judge, and to see Jeffery's company do so well that it went public.According to Nettie's chief of staff, Michael Simanowitz, she and Ron met at a party in the Bronx. Rumor has it that Nettie tripped Ron to get his attention and as they say, the rest is history. We don't know if that story is true, but it sounds good and also sounds like the quintessential Nettie.Nettie and Ron had a wonderful 60 years together. They were one of the most devoted couples we have ever met. Ron had several different careers during his lifetime. When he retired, he devoted himself to helping Nettle with her career.Ron had not been well the past few years, but he never complained and he was always pleasant and considerate. Besides their two sons and daughters-in-law, they also had four grandchildren, ranging in age from 10 to 16 completing the Mayersohn family circle.The service was held at Schwartz Brothers Chapel on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills. Needless to say, there was a huge turnout. Among the notables in attendance were Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Queens County Democratic Chairman Thomas Manton and New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller. Just about everyone in Queens attended to show their respect.They say you never really die as long as there is someone still alive who remembers you. Ron, you will be sorely missed not only by your family, but also by all of us who were fortunate enough to have known you. Rest in peace. You will always be in our prayers.Did you ever notice what a small-town feeling Queens has about it? To illustrate the point, last Wednesday we stopped for lunch at the Whitestone Diner and ran into Sylvia Weprin Feinstein and her husband Martin. They were having lunch with former Assemblyman Mort Hillman and his wife Ruth. The Hillmans were up for a visit, they now live in Florida. It was good to see them again.Last Thursday evening we stopped in at Il Bacco for a late night drink before going home. There we ran into Carol Gresser and her husband Larry. They were just finishing dinner and getting ready to leave. Carol, we are sure you remember, ran for Queens Borough President against Helen Marshall. She subsequently lost the primary to Marshall. Carol was and is a very important Queens activist.On Friday we ran into Joan Vogt in Flushing. Vogt is a Republican district leader in College Point. She also works for state Sen. Frank Padavan. Joan tells us her grandson Butch is the third generation family member to join the Fire Department. Butch's father and grandfather were also New York City firefighters. Congratulations, Butch.On Saturday we ran into Joe Papillo in Whitestone. He told us that he and Betty Letterece had just gotten a marriage license. The big day will be soon as marriage licenses are only good for 60 days. Papillo said the event will be very quiet with no fuss. Joe is a retired court officer and Betty works for New York Hospital Queens in their public/community relations department. Congratulations, Betty and Joe, we are so happy for you, we think it's great!On Sunday at Home Depot while buying some plants we ran into Borough President Helen Marshall who was also buying some flats of flowers for her garden. See what we mean when we say it's a small town after all?On Tuesday we attended the 2005 Caring Award Dinner given by the Community Advisory Board of Flushing Medical Center at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel honoring the Won Buddhist Temple and the American Cancer Society Asian Unit Eastern Division. Good friends Mary Anderson, Janet Malone, Myra Baird-Hersce, JoAnn DiMartino and Marylyn Bitterman all helped make the evening a success.On Wednesday we attended a delightful early evening Garden Party at St. Mary's Hospital for Children in Bayside. It was their Annual Food and Wine Festival. It was also a kick-off for their 2005 fund-raising drive. See if you can find it in your heart to send them a donation. Even a check for $10 would help. They do such important, admirable work with children who would not have any of that necessary quality kind of help without them.In the past, whenever we appealed to you, you have generously responded. We ask you to come through again this time for the children in St. Mary's. We thank you in advance as we are sure their staff will also do so. The address is 29-01 216th St., Bayside, NY 11360. You can send it in care of Dr. Burton Grebin MD or Molly Honigsfeld; remember they provide extraordinary children with extraordinary care. They really do need your help. Thank you. Some of the other events we covered this week were the Queens Chamber of Commerce Business Card networking event. The event is one of their most popular; it was their Annual Pool Party and Barbeque at the Courtyard Marriott at LaGuardia Airport. It was as always well attended and it is such a pleasant respite on a warm summer evening.We have a lot more happenings to tell you about, but it will have to wait till next week as time and space have both run out. Remember, we love hearing from you, so keep the voice mails at 718-767-6484, the faxes at 718-746-0066 or the e-mail to deerrichard@aol.com. Till next week, Dee.
