By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
"Madge loved animals," her niece Jeni Gray of Manhattan said. "She loved gardening, cats, dogs and... people."
Madge Heron died on Thursday morning, Feb. 20, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan after a seven year battle with breast cancer. She was 71.
A long-time Long Beach activist, Mrs. Heron fought for what she believed in. She was known for fighting for the underdog, Gray said. Most of all, she added, Mrs. Heron "liked to fight City Hall. She loved a good argument, and she loved a good fight for a cause."
"I truly enjoyed Madge's wit and sense of humor," City Council President Joel Crystal said. "She always remained steadfast in her commitment and activism to her beloved West End neighborhood. I will miss her."
Besides fighting for good causes, Mrs. Heron also spent an enormous amount of time giving back to the community. She was active in the Friends of Fortune Auxiliary Arm of the Fortune Society, which helps former inmates, her sister-in-law Marie Gray of Spring Lake, N.J. said. For years, she helped former inmates get back on their feet. Mrs. Heron helped the former inmates find jobs and stay on the straight and narrow.
During Thanksgiving, Gray said, there would always be stranger at the table. The former inmates didn't have a place to spend the holiday, so Mrs. Heron would invite them to dinner, Gray said.
While Mrs. Heron had many passions, Gray said, perhaps it was women's rights that topped the list. Mrs. Heron's passion for women's rights brought her around the world. She traveled to Iceland to women's rights meetings, and "because they had a woman in power," Gray said. Even her checkbook read "this payment was made possible from women's labor," Gray said. She also marched for women's rights in Albany and Washington as recently as last year.
Mrs. Heron also traveled around the world with family. Her trips included Alaska, Florida and even Cardenden, Scotland, where her family roots began. Named after her grandmother, Mrs. Heron was able to track down her grandparents' gravestones.
Mrs. Heron was born on March 15, 1931, to Erma Morrow and James Gray in the Bronx. She graduated high school in the late 40s, Gray said. In the 60s, Mrs. Heron completed a course in business management at Adelphi University, Gray said. From the Bronx, Mrs. Heron moved to Brentwood, N.Y. and then to Nassau County. Finally, in September of 1964, Mrs. Heron, then an independent bookkeeper, bought a house and settled in Long Beach.
During a party at a Long Beach apartment complex, Mrs. Heron met Ken Rhode. The couple married on March 6, 1983 and were married for eight years, her daughter Karen Rohde of Elmont said. Mrs. Heron also had three previous marriages to Al Heron, Frank Posniakus and Warren Baker.
Mrs. Heron was a Nassau County board member for the National Organization for Women. She was also the treasurer for the People's Protestant Community Church in Long Beach, and Mrs. Heron was a member of the League of Women Voters and the West End Neighbors Association.
Last year, Mrs. Heron was honored as an unsung heroine of Long Beach by the Long Beach Historical Society and the League of Women Voters.
Besides her daughter, sister-in-law and niece, Mrs. Heron is survived by two nephews, Robert Gray of London, England and Christopher Gray of Piscataway, N.J.; and a step-daughter Robin Rohde Ehlich of Massapequa.
A funeral was held on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Vanella's Funeral Chapel in Oceanside followed by cremation during a private ceremony.
