Audrey K. Nordland of Amityville and Massapequa, at 98

Audrey K. Nordland of Amityville and Massapequa, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, who worked for the Amityville Post Office and put family first, died on August 18, 2023. She was 98 years old.

She was born on October 27, 1924 in Mineola to John and Mildred (Morse) Doherty. She grew up in Massapequa and attended Amityville High School where she not only met her future husband Anthony Nordland but also discovered her passion for field hockey. There, she led her team to the Suffolk County Field Hockey Championship in 1944 alongside her best friend and star athlete Mazie Kretz (McDonough) and Jeanne Nordland (Gannon). In 2016, she was inducted into the Amityville Sports Hall of Fame. “She was an outstanding field hockey player and athlete,” said her son James.

Audrey Doherty and Anthony Nordland continued to stay in touch following their graduation. Anthony went off to serve in the United States Marines.

“My dad was stationed in the Pacific during World War II and they exchanged letters throughout the war,” said her son Anthony.

On July 2, 1949, Audrey Doherty and Anthony Nordland were married. The reception was held at the Riviera in Massapequa.

Mrs. Nordland worked in New York City for Modern Bride Magazine at the time of her engagement and the magazine did a feature after the couple were married titled “Manhattan Honeymoon.”

Mrs. Nordland later worked for Big Chief Lewis Real Estate and then for the Amityville Post Office where she retired after working there for 20 years.

A Yankees fan who also enjoyed crafting, it was always family that had Mrs. Nordland’s heart above all else, said her sons.

“Family always came first,” said her son James.

“Christmases were just like the movie ‘A Christmas Story,’” said Anthony. Both sons also recalled how their parents came to almost every one of their children’s wrestling matches and baseball games.

“She never forgot a birthday or an anniversary,” said her son Thomas, adding that at her service many people, younger and older, came up to him and told him that she was the nicest person they had ever met.

Thomas also recalls how his mother would make muffins for him and his friends if he was going on any kind of trip. “She would ask how many people are going and would make enough for everyone, even if she had never met them,” said Thomas. “She always wanted to spread good cheer and good will and would always find something good to say about everyone.”

Mrs. Nordland’s sons were lifeguards at TOBAY Beach and cherish a specific memory in particular of their mom. James recalled that when he and his brothers were lifeguarding, their mom would often come down to the beach with the grandchildren to visit, bringing a pitcher of iced tea and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

James said that she would even bake the cookies for many of the lifeguards’ birthdays, adding that if there was one way to sum up the kind of mom she was, this memory would be it.

“They were all adults and she was baking them chocolate chip cookies for their birthdays,” said James. “My mom was the perfect mom.”

Mrs. Nordland’s niece Patti Doherty-Conte also remembers how her aunt would bring egg salad sandwiches for everyone at the beach.

“She was the creator of the best egg salad sandwiches,” said Patti.

Her niece also mentioned how important her aunt’s faith was to her.

“She would always say that family is important, friends are just as important, keeping your word is very important, and you must always try to keep the faith.”

Her granddaughter Kerianne said her grandmother had a way of always making you feel celebrated, whether it was seeing you in person or talking to you on the phone.

Her love and commitment to her family and others was evident at her funeral, said her family.

“There was such an outpouring of love and support,” said James. “It was beyond belief and beyond words; she touched so many lives.”

Audrey K. Nordland was predeceased by her husband Tony; her brothers, John, Doppy, Dick, Ralph and Jim, and her sister Gene Finn.

She is survived by her sister Madeline Muller of Liverpool, New York; sister-in-law Gerry Doherty of Amityville; her sons: Thomas Nordland and his wife Margaret of Flanders, James Nordland and his wife Maryanne of Sayville and Anthony Nordland and his wife Karen of West Islip; her grandchildren: Allison Candelore and her husband Darek of Sayville, Sarah Schauer and her husband Kevin of Buffalo, Dane Nordland of Massapequa, Daniel Nordland and his wife Kelly of Sayville, Conor Nordland of Brooklyn and Kerianne of Astoria and great-grandchildren: Amelia, Abigail and Emily Candelore, also survive her.

Mrs. Nordland reposed at Powell Funeral Home, 67 Broadway in Amityville on Monday, August 21, 2023 and a Wake Service was conducted by Deacon Larry McPartland. A Mass of Christian Burial, officiated by Father Gerard Gordon and assisted by the Consolation Ministry and members of the family was celebrated on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at St. Martin of Tours RC Church in Amityville. Interment followed at Amityville Cemetery.