Last Updated: June 8, 2011

Obituaries

DI STEFANO, Vita of Bayville, age 96. Beloved wife of the late Paul. Loving mother of Dr. Ignatius (Susie), Judge Biagio (Sue) and Paul (Donna). Proud grandmother of Kristen, Blaze, Nicholas and Nina.
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HART, Ricardo J. of Glen Cove on May 29. Loving son of Concetta Mancini. Dear brother of Tina Marie (Howard) Bloom. Cherished uncle of Amanda, James and Michael.

HAUSER, Stephen C. of Glen Cove on May 26. Beloved husband of Doreen (nee Comitino). Devoted father of Alyssa, Steve Jr. and Jackie. Loving grandfather of Isla and Jason. Dear brother of John (Rachel) and Madeline (Steve) Owen.

JENNINGS, John Prentice (Jack), of Mill Neck, age 81, lost his battle to cancer on May 30. He was born on October 17, 1929 in Manhattan to B. Brewster Jennings, President and Chief Executive of Mobil Oil, and Kate Prentice Jennings. He was the paternal great-grandson of Oliver Jennings, an early partner of John D. Rockefeller. Jack graduated from Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, CO, attended UVA, and joined the Marines to fight in the Korean War where he distinguished himself as a Master Sergeant. He broke the Camp Lejeune sharp shooter record and was the long standing top skeet shot at Piping Rock Club. He eventually ended up at Grumman and was heavily involved in the Apollo program and the building of the Lunar Module which put Neil Armstrong and others on the moon. In June of 1970, he and wife Nina hosted a celebration party for the Apollo 13 mission at their home in Mill Neck, to welcome home and celebrate the safe return of astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred W. Haize. When the mission went awry, the Grumman LM brought them safely back to earth; a task for which it was never designed.
He and Nina, and later, their son Brewster, made many trips to the African wilderness where he shared his love for Africa. He served his community in many capacities including, Trustee and Police Commissioner of Mill Neck, on the board of North Shore Wildlife Sanctuary, and as a board member at Glen Cove Hospital. His greatest pleasures were his home in Mill Neck, summers in Vinalhaven Maine, safaris to Africa and in his later years, cruising the world with his wife Nina.
His tales of his life stories captivated audiences of all ages. His charm and wit endeared him to most everyone he touched and he will be deeply missed. He is survived by his wife, Cornelia (Nina) Clark Jennings, daughters Debra Gillette, Wendy Hall, Leigh Judson, Edith McElroy, Katharine Cushing, Lee DiPietro, Nini Marceca, and son Brewster Jennings and 18 grandchildren. Another daughter, Ames Tollefson, predeceased him.
His family has planned a celebration of his life at the Piping Rock Club on Thursday, June 9 at12noon. In lieu of flowers, Jack would prefer donations to the school that helped form him, Fountain Valley School, 6155 Fountain Valley School Road, Colorado Springs CO 80911.

SMITH, Francis A. Jr. (Skip) of Glen Cove on May 28. Beloved husband of Judith (nee Zielazny). Devoted father of Francis A. III and Michael P. Also survived by his many loving nieces, nephews and friends. Donations may be made to The Animal Lovers League, 40 Shore Road, Glen Cove, NY 11542

 

 

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