Elsie Palera

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Longtime Dongan Hills resident Elsie R. Palera, 86, a retired secretary who was active in her church and always willing to lend a hand, died Wednesday in University Hospital, Newark.

Born Elsie R. Ratti in Manhattan, she grew up in Astoria, Queens, living across the street from noted singer Tony Bennett, who she could often hear practicing his vocal technique, her family said.

She graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School.

In 1967, she settled in Dongan Hills.

Mrs. Palera's career as a secretary spanned 20 years. After working at RCA in Manhattan and AARP on the Island, she worked at Guy Molinari's congressional office and at Borough Hall, and later for former Borough President Jim Molinaro.

"She was a lovely woman who went out of her way to help people," Molinaro said. "She was always available to fellow employees and to anyone who needed her assistance. She never said no."

She was a member of the Dongan Hills Civic Association.

She enjoyed crocheting, solving crossword puzzles and traveling with her husband.

Mrs. Palera was a parishioner of St. Ann's R.C. Church, Dongan Hills, where she was a member of the Rosary Society.

She was preceded in death by her sons, Kenneth in 2012, and Robert, in 1974.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Cosmo.

The funeral will be Saturday from the Virginia Funeral Chapel, with a mass at 10 a.m. in St. Ann's Church, both in Dongan Hills. Arrangements include cremation.