Phyllis Fassler
Hi Marguerite,
I was so sorry to hear of your mother's passing. Elizabeth
was one of the kindest, gentlest, loveliest ladies I've ever had the
pleasure to know.
She will be missed by everyone at Douglaston, both staff and patrons
alike. There has not been a week that has gone by that someone
hasn't asked about her and when she would be returning.
Elizabeth and I became email buddies during the initial stage of her
illness. I miss those emails and I knew that things were not good
when I emailed her after she left in November, but didn't get any
response. I kept hoping that one day I would hear from her again
and that she would be returning to Douglaston.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this most
difficult time.
All the best,
Phyllis Fassler
Children's LibrarianDouglaston Library
Debbie Hammer
Sent: Sat, May 8, 2010 9:55 pm
Dear
Marguerite
I am terribly saddened and surprised to hear of your Mom's passing.
Although I had not heard from her in a while, I never knew she was ill.
But, as you said, she did not like to burden others.
I'm honored to learn that your Mom enjoyed working with me. It was
the same way with me. Elizabeth was always a calm and reasonable
presence in what could be a stressful job. She had no agenda, no
issues, and just wanted to help the people who came into the library and
needed help. I appreciated the fact that even after we stopped working
together your Mom would always remember me with her e-mails and holiday
cards.
Although I will not be able to attend the memorial, I will search for
some photos to send to you.
Please accept my deepest sympathies. I will always be glad I knew
your Mom, and worked with her.
Debbie Hammer
Lorraine A.
Sent: Sat, May 8, 2010 3:31 pm
Dear Marguerite, my deepest sympathy to you and your family.
As you know, I run the book discussion here and your mother's help was
professional and so helpful. Your mother, before her illness, always had
a twinkle in her eye. I was so pleased when she made an overture to be
my friend. We had some wonderful lunches, and we shared our thoughts and
feelings. We enjoyed each other's company.
Thank you for thinking of me.
Lorraine A.
Joanne King
Dear
Ms. Shinouda,
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. I don't have to tell
you how much the Queens Library family misses her.
I have been having trouble locating a recent-ish photo of her to featured
in our staff newsletter. If you have one that you can email, would you
mind sharing it? The location where it was taken is not important, just
something that her friends will recognize.
I appreciate any help. Again, please accept my sympathies. You were
lucky to have her for a mother and friend.
Sincerely,
Joanne King, Associate Director - Communications
Queens Library
Douglaston Library Staff
Dearest Marguerite,
Hello! I am writing on behalf of the staff of the
Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library. We have taken a
collection in memory of your beloved mother. We ask that you
purchase a rose bush (or two) in her memory. Of course you know
her preferences.
We are following this mailing with a card signed by all the staff
members who contributed to this collection. Here are the names of
these individuals:
David Roycroft, Floating Manager
Sheryl Winn, Customer Service Supervisor
Pablo Jarama, Customer Service Specialist
Davida MacRay, Customer Service Representative
Lakeisha Magazine, Customer Service Representative
Roberto Lorenzo, Custodian
Phyllis Fassler, Children’s Librarian
Qamar Jaffery, Reference Librarian & Young Adult Librarian
Rina Davis, Visiting Customer Service Supervisor
Sophia DelFavero, Volunteer
Irene Schweiger, Volunteer
And me, Tina Holinski
Our prayers are with all of you. Elizabeth Shinouda was a dear
lady, a phenomenal storyteller, and a true professional. May her
memory be eternal.
Love and Prayers,
Tina Holinski
John Moran
Dear Ms. Shinouda & Ms. Gallagher:
I am so sorry for your loss. Elizabeth was a dear friend and
colleague when we worked together in the History, Travel, & Biography
and Social Sciences divisions years ago.
Sincerely,
John Moran
A Sylvan Retreat In Queens
(Article in Around Town July/August 2009)
The waterfront area of Douglaston/Little Neck has a long history. In
colonial times, the Little Neck area was named for the geographical
feature of the small peninsula extending into Little Neck Bay, while a
larger peninsula just to the east was called Great Neck. In 1872,
Douglaston was named for William P. Douglas, who inherited the estate on
the peninsula for which Little Neck was named.
Now bordered by Little Neck
Bay, Grand Central Parkway, Alley Pond Park and Marathon and Little Neck
Parkways (to the north, south, west and east, respectively), Douglaston/
Little Neck is made up of several smaller areas, including Douglas
Manor, Douglaston Hill and Douglaston Park. Today, this part of Queens,
which is wooded and somewhat isolated, feels more like the country than
the city.
Queens Library has been part of the Douglaston/Little Neck community
for nearly a century. In 1914, a Queens Library branch opened in a
Douglaston real estate office, with a collection of about 600 books.
After a few additional moves, Queens Library at Douglaston/Little Neck
opened its doors in its improved and expanded quarters at its present
location in 1962, and has stood there since.
“This is a very nice neighborhood library,” says Community Library
Manager Elizabeth Shinouda. “There are many long-term residents, and
some of our customers have been coming here for 50 years. They even
remember when this used to be a storefront.” Shinouda points out that
Queens Library at Douglaston/Little Neck serves all ages, from babies to
people in their 90s. “Our seniors are great readers,” she says. The
library has evolved to serve its diverse group of customers, and now
provides books, CDs and DVDs in Korean, Chinese and Spanish as well as
English, to meet the needs of newer populations.
Programming at
Douglaston/Little Neck is also geared toward serving the diverse
population, with plenty of programs for babies, toddlers and children,
as well as a variety of summer programs for young adults. “We also have
a professional volunteer who comes in every Monday for knitting and
crocheting,” says Shinouda, referring to another popular program at
Douglaston/Little Neck that attracts adult participants.
The one-story library packs a strong collection into a small space, with
a variety of reference materials, best-sellers and nonfiction titles
alongside the DVD and CD collection. There are also public-service
computers available. The three full-time and one part-time librarians
are careful to choose materials that best serve their customers, while
one of Douglaston/Little Neck’s customer service specialists has an
ongoing class on Mondays that introduces customers to computer basics
and keeps them technologically savvy.
If you live in the area or are just passing through, make Queens
Library at Douglaston/Little Neck a destination. You’re sure to find
something you like!
Margalit Susser
Sent: May 11, 2010
Dear Marguerite,
I knew your mother personally. She was a beautiful and warm
person. When I became Union President she called me with her
congratulations and wished me the best.
I and many of my colleagues will miss your mother.
Our deepest sympathy from the Local 1321 and myself.
Please take care,
Margalit Susser,
and Local 1321’s Executive Board
Anna Marie Smith
I met Elizabeth when we worked together in Fresh Meadows branch of the
Queens Library in 1991. Runita Sutton, Elizabeth, and I were the
“junior” members of the librarian staff there and we got along together.
Not only did we work together, we went out together after work, going to
restaurants and movies. We sometimes went to the “Quantum Leap,” a
vegetarian restaurant since Runita is a vegetarian. Elizabeth
suffered from migraines and I remember she said that she felt that diet
played a role with that since she never had any migraines after eating a
vegetarian meal while other types of restaurant food would trigger them.
I remember we went to see “enchanted April,” “a lovely film,” according
to Elizabeth. (It is!)
At the joint farewell luncheon that was held for us before Elizabeth
left, we discovered that she was a History major, transferring to the
Language and Literature Division or “LL” (now Literature and Languages),
while I was an English major, transferring to History, Travel, and
Biography Division or “HTB” (now History Collection of Social Sciences
Division).
And yet, it was as it was meant to be: Elizabeth and I were both
in our beloved “C” core at Central, she in HTB and I in LL. Our
desks were a few feet away from each other on the main floor office,
behind the reference desk area. We sometimes, were at our
respective divisions’ reference desks at the same time and we could talk
between reference questions. We ate together in the cafeteria when
we had the same lunch hour. We were still going out to movies and
restaurants, sometimes with other librarians, sometimes getting together
with Runita. At some point, while we were at Central, Elizabeth
discovered that I lived in an area that she passed on her way home.
So, she would give me rides home whenever our workday ended at the same
time. This was a blessing for me, especially whenever we worked
the same late shift which ended at 9 PM. She also would pick me up
on her way to the annual staff breakfast which recognized staff members’
years of service with the library. A staff member had referred to
the food they served at the breakfast in earlier years as “green eggs
and ham.” I remember once when Elizabeth picked me up, she had a
bowl of cereal (oatmeal, I think) in her car. She would eat from
it when she stopped at red lights I guess she wasn’t depending on the
staff breakfast for her nourishment. We both got through the
changes that took place at Central. Both of our divisions merged
with others: HTB with Social Sciences (B core) and LL with Popular
Library, now Fiction Collection (A core), resulting in both of us having
to alternate working between two reference desks.
Then, the time came when Elizabeth transferred back to the branches.
She said to me the last time she dropped me off at the end of our mutual
workday, “I think we became closer since we worked at Central together.”
And then we hugged each other. It was true, we had become closer.
However, relationships change, even though affection remains constant.
We were not as close as we were after she returned to the branches and
yet our affection for each other remained intact.
There is a belief that relationships are for healing; that we are all
wounded in some way and that our relationships help us to become whole.
I never saw Elizabeth as a wounded person. To me, she had the
three necessary qualities that make a human being whole: love,
wisdom, and courage. Elizabeth was loving, she was wise, and she had
courage. I didn’t see any deficiencies in these qualities in
Elizabeth. I’m sorry that we were not as close as we used to be
after she returned to the branches, and especially during her last years
on this earth. I take comfort in the thought of a phrase used as
the title of a poetry collection celebrating friendship. The title
is “A Friend is Forever.” Elizabeth Shinouda is my friend.
Elizabeth is forever.
Anna-Marie Smith
Sheryl Winn
Dear Marguerite and Margaret,
I apologize for taking so long in writing. I’ve enclosed the photo
of some of the Douglaston staff that worked with your mother. I
put our names on the back of the picture, I’m the one in the orange
blouse- Sheryl.
Now, my memories of Elizabeth. I’d kept her in my prayers, praying
for her health to return and for her to return to work. I’m one of
those people whose voice goes up a few octaves when I get excited or
having a heated discussion. Whenever that would happen this soft,
calm voice would say, “Sheryl, lower your voice.” I would say
“ok,” lower my voice, and continue (smile).
Whenever I had a health issue (and I had a few) I would go talk to
Elizabeth and see what she thinks. We would talk and her precious
daughter whom she loved with every breath would come up. All the
wonderful Alternative Medicine methods, herbs, treatments that she had
learned from you would be told to me to try. I know I could count
on her for a second opinion. She was a gentle soul who I enjoyed
knowing and working with at the library.
My mother passed over a few years back but the wonderful memories of our
time together always put a smile on my face. Your mother is missed
and I hope your memories of her puts a smile on your face.
Sincerely,
Sheryl Winn