By:Nicole Falco
Ang, a longtime Valley Stream resident and the mother of Village Clerk Vinny Ang, died Aug. 29 at Huntington Hospital, surrounded by her family. She was 87.
"She loved life, and she held onto it with both hands," said her son. "She got every minute she could get out of it, and she enjoyed it."
Ang was born and raised in Brooklyn. She married her late husband, Lynndon, while he was still in the Navy. "She used to wait for him outside the Brooklyn Navy Yard for his leave, and they would go kissing underneath the Manhattan Bridge," said Vinny Ang, recalling a story his mother enjoyed telling.
The couple moved to Valley Stream's Gibson section in 1945, and began raising their six children (a seventh child died in infancy). When the family outgrew its Gibson home, they bought a larger home in the community.
Ang always took an active interest in her children's lives. When her two oldest daughters joined the Girl Scouts, she became a scout leader. When her three youngest children became American Sea Rangers, she joined that organization, too. She volunteered for the Rangers for more than 30 years, and was an active member up until about five years ago, when a series of strokes forced her to slow down.
"She just loved being around and working with the kids," Vinny recalled. "That's what the Sea Rangers is about. There were always so many kids, and she got such a kick out of them in their uniforms."
Ang was also a charter member of the Catholic Daughters of America and the Garden Club of Valley Stream. She was president of the Garden Club at least five times, according to club member Gloria Drucker. "She was excellent in our club at floral design and horticulture," Drucker said. "She was able to do many aspects of gardening and do them well. She was extremely capable, and she really kept things going."
When Ang got involved in an organization, she invariably took a leading role. Whether it was planning trips and fund-raisers for the Sea Rangers or organizing Garden Club shows, she knew how to get things done and wasn't afraid to take on responsibility, according to her children.
After her husband's death in 1986, Ang began to travel. "Mom started traveling when she was in her 70s," said Vinny. "She had an absolute ball. She would go with her friends if they were available, or any family members if they were available, or by herself."
She traveled throughout Europe, including Spain, Ireland, England and Italy, and South America as well as the U.S. "She was so active," said her daughter, Lorraine Foelsch. "She was not the kind of person to sit home and do nothing."
Though Ang spent the last years of her life in a wheelchair, her children made every effort to keep her active. Just last month, Vinny took her to Coney Island, one of her favorite places.
Vinny and Lorraine describe their mother as feisty and strong-willed. "Nothing intimidated her," Vinny said. Foelsch agreed. "She was a very strong person and a very tough person," she said. "When she made up her mind about something, you couldn't tell her differently."
Besides Vinny and Foelsch, who lives in Babylon, Ang is survived by sons Terrance, of Valley Stream, and Lynndon, of Lynbrook; daughters Carolyn Rottkamp, of Bellmore, and Arlene McAree, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; a brother, Harry Owens; and seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
She was waked at Lieber Funeral Home Tuesday and Wednesday. A funeral Mass was scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Ang's memory to the American Sea Rangers Battalions 5 and 14, 308 Hendrickson Ave., Valley Stream, NY 11580.
