Virginia Todaro When Vincenza (Virginia) Todaro moved to East Massapequa in the early 1960s, she became passionate about bringing that portion of the community into the Massapequa School District and Massapequa Post Office. And, she wanted the community to have the same telephone exchange as the rest of its Massapequa neighbors. Committed to that goal, she formed the Massapequa Coordinating Committee with Bertha Meurer, a friend and neighbor of hers, and the women worked tirelessly, writing letters, holding meetings and picketing the powers that be.

“I remember standing on picket lines with her when I was young,” said her daughter Nancy of Amityville. “My mother was passionate about what she believed in and always did things the best way she could.”

Her work with the Massapequa Coordinating Committee led to a change in post offices for that community from Amityville to Massapequa and a change that included East Massapequa in the Massapequa telephone exchange.

Vincenza T. Todaro, died Feb. 26, 2010. She was 76 years old and had endured a series of illnesses over the past ten years, including a brain injury sustained in a fall and cancer. Despite that, she maintained an optimistic outlook and though unable to enjoy her golden years, accomplished a lot in life, said her daughter.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, she attended schools there and earned a degree in cosmetology. She also met her husband, Pasquale, there and after only 12 days of dating, the couple wed. He died in February 2006 after 54 years of marriage.

Mrs. Todaro worked in various beauty salons and had a shop in her home. She later worked for Esteé Lauder as an assembler and retired due to illness after 15 years with that company.

In 1963, she and her husband moved to Nancy Place in Massapequa and raised their family there. She always worked hard and made each of her children know that they were an important part of her life, said her daughter, Jennifer.

“I remember her walking me and my sister Pat to school when we lived in Brooklyn,” said her daughter Jennifer Auperin of Amityville. “Whether it was helping her bake or doing other things, she always had us by her side.”

While a Catholic and a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church, she volunteered at Temple Sinai, helping her Jewish friends who were members there. She also volunteered for the past 15 years at the St. Martin’s thrift shop in Amityville, The Cloak Room, and played duplicate bridge at the tournament level.

“She was a delightful woman and a lovely person,” said Anne Cosentino, another volunteer at The Cloak Room who took trips with Mrs. Todaro to Atlantic City. “She loved the color purple and wore it all the time,” added Cosentino. “We used to have a lot of fun with that.”

Mrs. Todaro is survived by her children: Jennifer Auperin and her husband Timothy of Amityville, Patricia Gemo of Point Pleasant, New Jersey and Nancy Pascuzzi and her husband Rich of Amityville. Her grandchildren, Nicole, Angelo, Sarah, Amanda and Emma, also survive her as does her brother Vincent and his wife Martha of North Carolina and her sister-in-law, Pat Tesoro of Toms River, New Jersey and her nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, her brothers Frank and Louie and her sister-in-law Fannie predeceased her.

Funeral services were under the direction of the Powell Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Martin of Tours R.C. Church, Amityville. Her cremains were buried in National Cemetery at Calverton.