Sister Mary Georgine Ayers, longtime teacher, dies at 98
Sister Mary Georgine Ayers died on Sunday, March 19, 2017. She was 98. Credit: Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville
Sister Mary Georgine Ayers, a Roman Catholic nun who spent 80 years as a Dominican Sister of Amityville and taught at schools on Long Island and in Brooklyn and Queens, has died.
She was 98 at the time of her death on March 19, her religious order said.
She was born Mary Josephine Ayers in Brooklyn to David and Emma Ayers. She grew up in Holy Family parish in the borough, where she first met the Dominican Sisters.
“Georgine’s life was greatly influenced by her mother, about whom she spoke of often and lovingly,” Dominican Sister Peggy Warren, who had lived with Sister Georgine, said in an email.
She attended the Juniorate, a religious secondary school in Water Mill, and entered the novitiate at Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse in Amityville on Sept. 8, 1936.
On Aug. 18, 1937, she received her habit and took the name Sister Mary Georgine. She took her vows on Aug. 20, 1938.
Her teaching assignments included St. Margaret School in Middle Village, Queens, Good Shepherd Catholic Academy in Brooklyn, St. Ignatius Loyola School in Hicksville, Holy Spirit School in New Hyde Park, Cure of Ars School in Merrick and St. Frances de Chantal School in Brooklyn.
Later in life, her eyesight began to fail and she went to live in the motherhouse in Amityville in 2012.
“As a teacher Georgine was gentle, firm and kind. She had a phenomenal memory for her students,” the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville said in a statement.
“A story that was often retold about her was that a former student surprised her with a visit. He had been one of twin boys. Before he could introduce himself, she greeted him by name, not his twin’s name, but his. Although she could barely see, she recognized him as a unique person,” the statement said.
A wake and prayers were held March 22, followed by a funeral Mass on March 23 at St. Albert’s Chapel at Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse in Amityville. Burial was in the order’s cemetery on its grounds.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
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