By Hector Flores
"No one knew that it was her," Venise said of her mother. "Everyone thought that it was a hoot."
That was Venise's most cherished memory of her mother, who was better known to Salisbury and East Meadow residents as a community leader and environmentalist who spearheaded a campaign to make the Town of Hempstead's Resource Recovery Plant - the garbage plant - environmentally friendly.
DeJong died Jan. 17, at Nassau University Medical Center, of complications from a stroke. "She had a stroke on Dec. 4," Venise said. "It wasn't devastating, but she was impaired. She had subsequent strokes while she was in the hospital, and succumbed to an infection."
Nassau County Legislator Norma Gonsalves called DeJong's death "a big loss to the community."
"I worked with her on a number of different issues," Gonsalves said. "She was an environmentalist and was very knowledgeable on the issues. She could articulate issues very well, and convince those who were inclined to move in a different direction to stop and reassess the issue and come up with an intelligent decision."
DeJong's work also inspired many local residents. Shelly Lotenberg, director of public affairs at NUMC, called DeJong a mentor. "When I moved to Salisbury 30 years ago, I met her through the [Community Reform Temple]," Lotenberg said. "She is the one who got me involved in community issues. The first issue we were involved in was the Hempstead Resource Recovery Plant. We wanted to make sure that it would be as safe as possible."
Lotenberg said that their work ensured that the facility had all the proper environmental safeguards. "The plant is still operational," she continued. "We just have to keep an eye on it and make sure that it is still running safe. She was a lovely lady, and I'm really saddened."
Richard Cardozo, president of the Carman Community Association, said that what made DeJong special was that her activism was for the betterment of the community. "She was a great girl," he said. "All the stuff she did was for the purity of the purpose. Forget the accolades. She didn't care about the attention. Her satisfaction was to do good for the community. She went to bed at night just knowing that she made the community better."
But most important, many in the East Meadow and Salisbury community remember DeJong as a wonderful friend. Judith Cohen-Rosenberg, rabbi of the Community Reform Temple, said, "She was the most delightful women. She was caring, compassionate, funny and was devoted to both her family and friends in her private and public life. The most important thing is she knew how to get things accomplished and remain on good terms with her opposition as well as those who favored her initiatives."
Robert Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic & Community Service Association, called DeJong a "fantastic lady." "She was a good friend," he said. "I enjoyed working with her, and her loss is very traumatic."
Gary Hudes, a Town of Hempstead councilman, said that DeJong was loved because she had the ability to listen to people. "A lot of people have their minds made up on issues, but Viki would listen," he said.
Helen Meittinis, president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue, added that part of DeJong's appeal was that she always said what was on her mind. "She was a nice lady, and told you what she thought," Meittinis said. "That is commendable. Everyone who knew her thought the world of her."
Humble beginnings
Viki Farber DeJong was born in 1931 in the Bronx, and was raised by her mother, Dora Farber, with three other siblings, an older sister, an older brother and a twin brother.
She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from New York University, and became a teacher at a junior high school in the Bronx. She taught for a couple of years, until she met and married her husband, Burt DeJong, in 1956. In 1957, the couple's daughter, Jamie, was born. Their second child, Ethan, was born in 1960.
The DeJongs moved to Westbury in 1957, and then to Salisbury in 1968. During her early years in the community, Viki was active with the local PTA and Girl Scouts.
She emerged as an activist in 1978, when the Town of Hempstead announced the construction of a new Resource Recovery Plant in Westbury. As a result, she founded the Citizen's Committee for Civic Action, Inc.
DeJong is credited with the closing of the original Town of Hempstead Incinerator, and was given much of the credit for guaranteeing that the new incinerator contained proper safeguards and was environmentally friendly.
She is survived by her husband and daughter.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
