Lynn Needelman, former executive director of Long Island Cares from Huntington Bay, dies at 78

Lynn Needelman was someone who always saw the glass half full and walked through life with grace and an open heart, her family said.

"Her laugh, sense of humor, her smarts, her kindness and compassion, everything about her just sparkled," said her husband, Bill Needelman.

The Huntington Bay resident died on Nov. 28 from complications of multiple sclerosis. She was 78.

Gwenda Lynn Needelman was born on Jan. 22, 1947, in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. She attended McGill University in Montreal in 1965, but ultimately graduated summa cum laude from Adelphi University in 1992 with a degree in communications.

Needelman met her husband, Bill, on a blind date in 1965. The couple married on April 7, 1967, and together raised their son Brian, of Maryland, and daughter Dawn, of Huntington.

"We came to Huntington just in time for the bicentennial in 1976 and have been here ever since," said Needelman's husband. "Lynn enjoyed living on Long Island. We often went to the beach with our kids. We liked to go to the East End to the wineries and see the foliage, and we would make an annual pilgrimage to Briarmere Farms."

Her daughter, Dawn Needelman, said her mother was "a great friend in addition to being a great mom" and the two "talked all the time."

"She was very supportive of my brother and me, and all of our school activities, and trying new things. She always made us feel special," she said. "When I was in college, she decided to go back to school to get her degree, so we were both in school at the same time, which was pretty cool."

Throughout her life, Needelman enjoyed theater, so it was no surprise when she began her career at the Performing Arts Foundation, a nonprofit arts organization in Huntington. As the foundation's coordinator, Needelman secured funds for theater programs and even used a spare room in her house to help fundraising efforts, according to her husband.

Met Harry Chapin

It was at the Performing Arts Foundation where she met Harry Chapin, a singer/songwriter and hunger activist, who provided the opportunity for another fulfilling venture: working at Long Island Cares, the Island's first food bank that was founded by Chapin in 1980. Needelman began work with Long Island Cares in 1987 and three years later, accepted the position of executive director, a role she held for 18 years until her retirement in 2008.

"She managed to turn it around and have it thrive until her retirement," her husband said. "She was diagnosed in 1999 with MS, but remained on the board for 15 years after her diagnosis, helping to get awards, grants and more recognition for LI Cares."

Needelman enjoyed working on programs dedicated to children and women. According to her daughter, Needelman filled backpacks with food and helped women rebuild their lives and gain self-confidence.

"She loved helping people, especially kids, and she loved the people that she worked with," her daughter said. "She would hope to be remembered as a kind, generous person who wanted the best for all of those lives that she touched."

Jim Lennon, professional photographer and chair of the board of Long Island Cares, said Needelman was "a very dear friend," and "a consummate, even-tempered but get-it-done person."

"Lynn had a way of leading people, and I truly believe LI Cares exists today because of her perseverance. I admired her so much; she was such a good soul," said Lennon of Flanders. "She took the responsibility to make sure that the whole organization kept on going, and I think she would want her legacy to be remembered as someone who made things happen."

Although she loved her career — she was named among the Top 50 Women on Long Island on two separate occasions — Needelman also enjoyed traveling, scrapbooking, antiquing and reading.

"Her favorite author was Alice Munro because many of her scenes took place in Southern Ontario, and she wrote about places that Lynn knew," Needelman's husband said. "Her family was really her hobby, and she was always celebrated for how much she cared about others."

In addition to her husband and daughter, Needelman is survived by her son and two grandchildren. She was laid to rest in her hometown at Norfolk Oakwood Cemetery, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. Donations were made to Long Island Cares and the National MS Society.