Margaret D'Ambrosio, teacher of Italian to LI middle and high school students, dies at 96

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Margaret D'Ambrosio grew up surrounded by European culture — listening to Italian radio and reading Italian newspapers. D'Ambrosio became the first in her family to graduate from college, an accomplishment that shaped her life and career, her family said.

"She was quite a model for me," said D'Ambrosio's daughter, Mary D'Ambrosio, of Brooklyn. "She was a very sweet, selfless and sensible person who empowered her children's dreams."

D'Ambrosio died from dementia on Sept. 13 at the age of 96.

Margaret D’Ambrosio was born on Nov. 6, 1928, in New York. She graduated from Hunter College in 1950 with a bachelor's in Italian studies, and soon after began teaching middle and high school Italian in the Hicksville and Northport-East Northport school districts. She met her husband, Patrick, a history teacher and school psychologist, while vacationing in the Catskills. The couple married in 1951 and settled in East Northport, where they would raise four children: daughters Mary and Patricia and sons James and Thomas.

"She grew up in the Bronx and wanted property where my dad could garden," Mary said. "She loved having her own house, and the town was quite walkable. She took us down to the grocery store in a little red wagon. It was a comfortable place to live and grow up."

After spending several years teaching in Great Neck, Port Washington and Greenport, D'Ambrosio retired from education. In the 1970s, she took a Civil Service job as a probation officer until her retirement in 1993. But retirement didn't mean slowing down.

"Mom missed teaching and decided to teach Italian later in life to a group of women who wanted to learn the language," Mary said. "She spent so much time at the library, and one day, the Italian teacher there retired, and they asked her if she would teach it. She was 90 at the time, and it gave her a lot of meaning. She felt kind of empowered, and the women she taught were so grateful to learn from her."

D'Ambrosio's family remembered their matriarch as someone who was "supportive, even-tempered and a great host." D'Ambrosio's son James served as his mother's caregiver for the last three years of her life.

"I felt a moral obligation to come back and help her after everything she did for me throughout my life," said James D'Ambrosio, of western New Jersey. "As a mother and a person, two words always come to mind: endless generosity."

According to her family, D'Ambrosio was a "very doting grandmother" to her only grandchild, and had a special bond with her grandson, Eric Santomauro-Stenzel. She also began a college fund in his name, which contributed to his tuition at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

"My Grandma was like a mother to me. More than many plates of scrambled eggs with Cheddar cheese and a side of sourdough toast and blueberries, she instilled in me the importance of generosity and the mutual responsibility incurred by living in society," said Santomauro-Stenzel, 24, of upstate New York. "I added Santomauro [her maiden name] to my last name in her honor a few years ago."

D'Ambrosio enjoyed traveling and gardening, and spent time in the garden in memory of her husband, who died in 1988. She also served as president of the East Northport Garden Club, was a longtime member of Friends with the Library, an active member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and a supporter of The League of Women Voters.

"She loved so much and showed endless gratitude for everyone. She was such a giving person," Mary said. "Even though she had dementia, I kept finding notes of worry about her children all over the house. She was always thinking of someone else, which created a kind of serenity in her."

In addition to her son, daughter and grandson, D'Ambrosio is survived by daughter, Patricia; son, Thomas; sister Mary Frances Lombardi; and two nieces. She is predeceased by her brother, Peter Santomauro.

A service of remembrance was held on Sept. 20 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in East Northport, followed by interment at St. Philip Neri Cemetery in East Northport. Donations can be made to The Alzheimer’s Association, Long Island chapter; The Hunter College Foundation; and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimó of New York University.