Sylvia Munick passed away on Friday, June 4, after a long struggle with dementia.
She lived all of her life in New York, from her early years in the Bronx, to her later years in Forest Hills, Westchester, and Manhattan. She felt at peace near or on the water, and in her middle years spent much time on the Long Island Sound.
For more than 30 years, Sylvia worked as a grade-school teacher in Spanish Harlem and the Bronx. Her students loved her. Their parents loved her. She was an outstanding piano player; she’d accompany all the musical productions in her school’s auditorium. She always had a piano in the house, and neighbors listening in often told her that she needed to play more.
Sylvia above all loved animals, dogs in particular. Her pets always came first, and they were almost never alone.
Funny and generous, Sylvia is survived by her only child, Ernie Munick, her twin sister, Claire Harris, as well as such beloved family members as nephew Allan Harris, his wife, Diane, and their son Aaron, as well as nephew Steven Harris.
May the people and animals Sylvia loved most — Rose Strauss, Richard Weiser, Irv Harris, Matty Harris, and her cherished pets Reggie and Sugar Ray and Huckleberry and Jelly Roll — be with her now and beyond, and may the ones still here have the option of joining her when their time has come.
Thanks, ma. I’ll always be there, as you were for me. I know you know.