By Danny Teigman
"Nobody deserves this more," the card said in all capital letters with many exclamation points.
Standing upright next to her son's card on her end table was another letter, this one from the Whitenecks - longtime friends and Oak Street neighbors - who saw the televised ceremony of the Woman of the Year award being presented to her during the last village board meeting.
"It is of great pride knowing we have a wonderful neighbor such as yourself," the card said. "Woman of the Year, the mayor to your right, what more could anyone ask for?"
Strunk, who has been known to do neighborly things like checking on elderly residents or at times buying their groceries, graciously accepted the award last month with some 30 family members and friends at her side.
"It's like she got inducted into the major leagues," said Maryann's husband, Bob.
Strunk, 66, lived in Sunnyside, Queens until she was 14, and attended Saint Theresa of the Little Flower in nearby Maspeth. Seeking suburban greenery, her family then moved to West Babylon.
Even though she lacks a college degree, Strunk believes education is extremely important - all of her children, Robert, Margaret, John, David, Matthew and Kathleen, graduated from Malverne High School, later earning their college degrees, among other professional achievements.
With her husband's family already having roots in Lynbrook, the couple moved into their Oak Street home in 1958, one day before their first son, Robert, was born.
The village's Summer Celebration Committee selected a man and woman of the year out of an applicant pool of nine people.
"I have known Mrs. Strunk for over thirty years and I cannot think of a more deserving person for this award," said Mayor Brian Curran. "She raised a wonderful family in Lynbrook while rising above many adversities and volunteered her time for many local charities and organizations. She serves as an excellent example of what makes Lynbrook so special."
Although describing herself as a quiet person, Strunk also relies on inner strength and faith to promote outward happiness. She has maintained a positive outlook on life, despite an unexpected 1974 diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis - which has made mobility difficult for her, but has not affected her smile.
"The disease hit me pretty fast," Strunk said. "But through this disease I've met wonderful people. ...I think it's made me more compassionate."
In addition to her years as a stay-at-home mom, a job she called a "full-time profession," Strunk also spent time comforting fellow members of a South Nassau Communities Hospital arthritis group. Although the clinic closed, she still meets some of the original group members for lunch.
"It was hard on my family at first," Strunk said of her disease. "But I knew I had to keep going. I had determination."
Today, her new full-time profession is being a grandmother to 10 grandchildren. When asked her advice on how to live a happy life, she said, "keep healthy, keep moving and keep yourself busy."
"It's been an interesting life and there's much more to come," she added.
Lynbrook's "Man of the Year", Rev. Bill Breslawski, will be featured in next week's Herald.
