Lynn Ann Wosleger dies, math professor and mother of 7 was 62
Lynn Wosleger, 62, a Farmingdale State College adjunct professor of math, taught for 11 years and was the mother of seven. She died on Feb. 20, 2016. Credit: Courtesy Wosleger Family
Lynn Ann Wosleger, adjunct professor of mathematics at Farmingdale State College, was known to solve problems both in and out of the classroom, navigating life with spirit and humility.
She left a career in the insurance industry in 1983 to become a stay-at-home mother and went on to have seven children. A decade later, still with young children at home, she earned a graduate degree in the evenings, and became a dedicated educator relating complex mathematical concepts to her students.
Wosleger, of Rockville Centre, died at Mercy Medical Center there on February 20 after a year-and-a-half battle with lung cancer. She was 62.
“Lynn was always up to something,” said Jerry Wosleger, 57, an insurance executive and her husband of 33 years. “She was a live wire. There was never a dull moment, and she’s missed so much.”
She placed a high value on education and was said to be consistently encouraging her children.
On any given weekend, she could be found watching one of their sports games, cheering from the bleachers. Her favorite vacation spots were Long Beach Island in New Jersey and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she was known to buy up a fair share of Amish-made food and crafts. She had seven cats and was also known to adopt families of birds in her backyard.
“In having seven children, mom created something so truly special and unique, especially in this day and age,” said her eldest son, Chris, 32, an attorney in Manhattan. “We are her legacy, and in that sense, she lives on.”
Second to watching her own children succeed, she loved the impact she had on the students she taught.
“She always went way beyond what she was required to do,” said Agnes Kalemaris, associate professor mathematics at Farmingdale State College and director of the campus’ math student tutoring center. “Her students thought very highly of her.”
Wosleger was born Lynn Ann Patrick on September 5, 1953. She was raised in Yonkers. Her mother was Italian and her father Slovakian. She was a graduate of the all-girls Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale, also in Westchester, and held a bachelor of science degree from Fordham University and a master’s degree in education from LIU Post in Brookville.
In addition to her husband and her son Chris, she is survived by her other children: Ryan, 30, of Queens; Megan Jones, 28, of Conshohoken, Pennsylvania; Jared, 26, of Manhattan; Erin, 24, of Rockville Centre; Kirsten, 21, at student at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and Sean, 17, a senior at Chaminade High School in Mineola. Her first grandchild is due in May.
A wake and a Catholic funeral Mass was held in late February. Donations in her name can be made to Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale.
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
