Miriam is survived by her husband of 66 years, Paul; her two daughters and their spouses, Christine (Gary Lewandowski) and Claudia (Jake LaSala); two beloved granddaughters, Eva
Hoffman (Tyler) and Carina Lewandowski (Jack Jablonski); and many nieces and nephews including Victor Cenci (Linda), Geraldine Krall (Steve), and Paula Cenci. She was predeceased by her parents, Steve and Angie, her sisters, Theresa Cenci and Joan Cacciabue, and her son, Paul Jr.
A 1956 graduate of Bellevue School of Nursing, she worked in Bellevue’s psychiatric ward and was the youngest woman to hold the position of head nurse. She later worked as a school nurse in the Cold Spring Harbor School district, until retiring after twenty years in 2000.
She and Paul loved to travel and together visited 57 countries and 252 cities, and enjoyed many happy times at their second home in Sarasota, FL. She was very active over the years as a volunteer at her children’s schools in the Cold Spring Harbor School district, at her parish, St. Edward the Confessor in Syosset, and at
the Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay.
A Brooklyn girl at heart, she loved a good pecan Danish, strong black coffee and fresh semolina bread. She was a devoted spouse, mother and grandmother, “the best of wives and the best of women,” a compassionate and steadfast friend who
nurtured relationships old and new, a tiny but mighty dynamo who, in her prime, was a step aerobics queen. We will forever remember her smile, her love, and Sunday macaroni and gravy.
Visitation Wednesday at Beney Funeral Home, 79 Berry Hill Rd., Syosset NY 11791, 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. Funeral Thursday 9:45 at St. Edward the Confessor, 205 Jackson Ave., Syosset, 9:45 am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay or St. Francis Breadline.
