MaryAnn Leiz Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

MaryAnn Leiz (Dean) of Moriches, NY, passed away on January 13, 2020 at the age of 80. Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, MaryAnn is survived by her husband, Art; her sons, Arthur and Jim, their wives Anna and Kathy, and her granddaughters, Juliette, Aldea, and Sienna. MaryAnn was born in Springfield Gardens, NY on July 17, 1939. While an only child, she grew up in a full and loving household with her extended family, including her Grandmother, her Aunt and Uncle, and her cousin Diana (Dean), who was like a sister to her. After High School, MaryAnn worked at Pan Am at Idlewild Airport (now known as JFK), where she traveled frequently and met her husband Art at the company Christmas party at the Garden City Hotel in 1961. MaryAnn's adventures at Pan Am included touring Khrushchev's plane during a lunch break to see what the inside of a Soviet Union plane looked like while Khrushchev was banging his shoe on the table at the UN. MaryAnn later moved to Massapequa where she started her family. She took great pleasure and pride in raising her family. Always a people person, MaryAnn stayed in frequent contact with her lifelong friends and extended family, including the Deans, Olsons and Rowells. She loved telling and retelling stories from her past (e.g., growing up in Springfield Gardens, her Norwegian heritage "kan du glemme gamle norge", summers at Fourth Lake, her Uncles' experiences in WWII, her time at Pan Am, raising her boys, etc.). While in Massapequa, she also attended college part-time and earned her Associates Degree at the age of 49. MaryAnn started a second career as a teaching assistant working with students in a local public school. MaryAnn lived for her family and later in life relished her time with her three grandchildren. She will be remembered for her steadfast love and loyalty to family and friends, her thoughtfulness and caring, her wit and storing telling, her smile and positive outlook - she was one of a kind. The family will receive friends and family on Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 2:00-4:30 PM at the Wesche Funeral Home at 495 Main St., Center Moriches, NY 11934 (www.weschefh.com). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in MaryAnn's memory to Day Haven, which provides a range of services for frail older adults and those with dementia and Alzheimer's (www.dayhaven.org).

Tributes

MaryAnn Leiz

July 17, 1939 - January 13, 2020