Liberty Salemi

Liberty L. Salemi (nee Previti) 102, of Woodside, N.Y. on July 27, 2018. Formerly of Corona, N.Y., Peekskill, N.Y., Woodside, N.Y., Manhattan and Staten Island, she was first raised in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen where she was born on October 7, 1915. Cherished wife of the late Salvatore J. Salemi, beloved mother of Dr. Joseph S. (Helen) Salemi of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Rosario O. Salemi of Woodside. Loving sister of Rosario (“Sam”) Previti, Marte Previti, Jean Previti Guerreri and Audace (“Chris”) Previti, all deceased. Fondly remembered by brothers-in-law Caster Salemi, Giacomo (“Jack”) Salemi, sisters-in-law Pauline Orzo Salemi, Jean Salemi Sokol, all of Massachusetts and Heidrun (“Heidi”) Schoenfelder Previti of Germany; nephews Robert Rizzo, Joseph Rizzo, Michael (Marcy) Salemi, John (Anamaria) Salemi, Steven Salemi (godson), Christopher (Christine) Previti; nieces Pamela Previti, Lisa Previti Rose, Elisa Jo Previti, Marcia (Peter) Previti Gumpel, Carol Salemi; grandnephews Brent Contrera, Scott Contrera, Alex Gumpel, Christian Previti and grandniece Christina Previti. Liberty is also survived by several dear friends and neighbors as well as assorted cousins and kin in Sicily, Italy and Australia.

Liberty was a graduate of Textile High School in Manhattan, Class of 1932 and member of the Arista Society. In the years before WWII she studied at night and held several positions by day until she began work as a secretary with Fairchild Publications near New York's Garment District (1942-1947). She was a hostess at a U.S.O. canteen in Manhattan during the war and also a devoted, inveterate letter writer on the home front, reaching out faithfully to many family members and friends serving overseas, including her future husband. In 1947 she married and soon raised a family while also being involved with P.T.A. activities and reorganizing her children's school’s library. She returned to work but now as a legal secretary with the New York World’s Fair 1964-1965 Corporation (1963-67). She then cared for her aging parents and eventually returned to secretarial work with another garment industry trade publication, “Knitting Times” (1972-1987). She enjoyed traveling with family and friends with some regularity beginning in the early 1970s. Europe, especially Italy and Germany, plus places in North America were among her favorite destinations. She was an American Legion Auxiliary member, avid reader, legendary crossword puzzle solver, and enthusiastic crocheter of many a quilt and blanket through the years, many of which still grace the homes of grateful family members and friends. In later years she was a regular at her local parish’s Seniors Club where she continued to enjoy traveling through the group’s organized bus rides to various local and regional destinations.

Wake is Tuesday, July 31st from 2-5 and 7-9 at Kennedy-Roth Funeral Home, 41-45 58th Street, Woodside, N.Y. Funeral (Mass of Christian Burial) is Wednesday, August 1st at 9:30 a.m., Corpus Christi R.C. Church, 31-30 61st Street, Woodside (entrances on 32nd Avenue). Interment is at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, L.I., N.Y.