Sister Ellen Marie Zizibin, of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, dies at 92

Sister Ellen Marie Zizibin was a Sister of St. Dominic of Amityville for nearly 73 years — and most people found her to be "a calming influence and a peaceful person," her family said.

"She was a lovely person with a big heart who was kind to everyone," said Zizibin's cousin Susan Guihan Guasp, of Ridge.

Zizibin died of natural causes on July 14, at the age of 92.

Roberta Anne Zizibin was born on Mar. 5, 1933, in Brooklyn. She was raised by a grandmother after her mother died when Zizibin was 7. She grew up alongside several uncles who were so close in age they felt like brothers to her.

"She adored my father, Robert Guihan, her uncle. They were only five years apart," Guasp said. "I always picked her up for the holidays, and we chatted the entire way from Long Island to Pennsylvania. She was a joy to be around."

Zizibin attended Our Lady of Lourdes School before moving on to Bishop McDonnell High School, graduating in 1951. While in high school, Zizibin met the Dominican sisters and knew she wanted to join the religious order after working for a year at the Equitable Insurance Company. On Sept. 6, 1952, Zizibin entered the novitiate of the Dominican sisters of Amityville from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Brooklyn. On Aug. 4, 1953, she received the habit and her religious name, Sister Ellen Marie, professed first vows on Aug. 7, 1954, and final vows on Aug. 7, 1957.

"I was so honored to have a sister in the family. I felt like we were closer to God because of it," Guasp said. "She had an infectious laugh, a big sense of humor and was very selfless."

Zizibin received her bachelor's degree from St. John’s University and began her career in education in 1954 at St. Barbara’s School in Brooklyn. She later taught at Incarnation School in Queens, St. Michael’s School in East New York, Brooklyn, and St. Pancras School in Glendale, Queens. As a teacher, Zizibin was adored by both parents and students, according to a longtime friend from high school, Sister Eva Mazzetta.

"She loved interacting with students and imparting knowledge. She was an excellent English teacher, very patient, and loved to see her students learn," said Mazzetta, of Glendale. She added that many students kept in touch with Zizibin long after they graduated. "She would want to be remembered as a very understanding person, and as someone who wanted to help no matter who needed it. She was very focused on spending time with people and tried to understand people where they were in life."

Zizibin moved to Amityville in 2000, where she spent her retirement from education volunteering at the Dominican Sisters' Opening Word literacy program. She enjoyed cooking, adored her pet parakeet Wally and was an avid Mets fan, which led to a special relationship with her cousin Robert Guihan Jr.

"Our bond only deepened over the years, especially around baseball season. She was a diehard New York Mets fan. I, a Yankees supporter, naturally found myself in a lifelong friendly rivalry with her. We teased, we bantered, and we took jabs at each other’s teams with equal parts passion and affection," said Guihan, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania. "I admired that so much — her encyclopedic mind, her attention to detail, her total immersion in what she loved."

A funeral took place July 17 at the Sisters of St. Dominic's St. Albert Chapel, followed by the Mass of Christian burial and interment in St. Dominic Cemetery on the motherhouse grounds in Amityville.