Nelda Brickner

Her father and mother were Nazarino and Concetta (Campana) Marini, to whom she was born in Union City, NJ on September 13, 1927. She was raised in Union City with her two older sisters Rose (Cirelli) and Gloria (Leber), graduating from Union Hill High School, where she was a drum majorette. She attended Vermont College, Montpelier, VT and medical technology school in Boston, MA, and worked as a lab technician at Margaret Hague Hospital, Jersey City, NJ and Southampton Hospital, NY.

In 1950, Nelda and Warren Brickner married. In 1957 they moved to Outlook Place, Glen Ridge, NJ, to raise their three children. Spending summers in East Hampton, NY since 1950, they lived in the Springs on Fireplace Road.

Nelda is survived by her children – Lauren Brickner-McDonald (Bob) of Mountain Lakes, NJ, Deirdre Brickner-Wood (Larry) of Durham, NH and Ward Brickner (Wanda) of Locust Valley, NY; eight grandchildren - Aria, Kailee (Jon) and Ryland Brickner-McDonald, Noah (Cecil) and Brady (Leah) Brickner-Wood, Smith, Abby and Grant Brickner; and great grandchildren - Kai, Josanna, Maeve, Sam and Blair, and Haven (predeceased), and many loving nieces, nephews, family members and friends.

Warren and Nelda were a successful business team. They operated Coiffeurs by Warren, opening the first New York City salon on Madison Avenue and 76th Street, and later opened businesses in the Regency and St Regis Hotels. In 1953, they opened their first East Hampton salon on Newtown Lane, later moving to Main Street. They owned and operated the 1770 House from 1968 to 1975. Nelda was a licensed real estate broker, and they owned several rental houses in Springs. Nelda worked for 25 years as a tax professional with H & R Block, Montclair, NJ, retiring at age 86.

Widowed at 63 years young, Nelda continued to lead an adventuresome life. Nurturing a life-long love of learning and creative pursuits, she traveled widely, enjoying adventures in both cities and the countryside.

She explored the world with a sense of wonder – from a 45-mile-per-day bike tour of the Netherlands to scuba diving off the Galápagos Islands, hiking Machu Picchu in Peru, and visits to Italy and beyond. She loved to immerse herself in new cultures, always treasuring the joy and discovery that came with each journey.

Nelda enjoyed exploration - from attending the opera and museums, to playing tennis, hiking, skiing, cycling, horseback riding, sailing and swimming in Gardiner’s Bay. Most of all, she loved an Amagansett ocean beach day with her family. Nelda’s Christian faith brought comfort and grace and was a guiding light throughout her life, providing a foundation for how she lived and treated others.

Nelda E. Brickner was buried at Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield, NJ. Funeral arrangements were with Leber Funeral Home, Secaucus, NJ. Condolences can be sent online at: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/12812817

Donations in Nelda’s memory may be made to these two organizations:

East Hampton Public Library. 159 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937 - Mail check or Donate online easthamptonlibrary.org

Visiting Nurse Service and Hospice Care of Suffolk, Foundation, Inc. 101 Laurel Road, East Northport NY 11731. Donate online to “Hospice House” visitingnurseservice.org