Una W. Edmead

Una Wilhelmina Edmead

Una W. (Sears) Edmead of Long Island, NY (formerly of West Hartford, CT and Sarasota, FL) passed away peacefully on April 29, 2019. She was 92 years old.

Una was born in Fair Haven, New Jersey to the late Rubye and Austin Sears. Though raised in a small town in New Jersey, Una often visited relatives and friends in New York City, where her mother had once lived. Throughout the 1940s, Una was active and involved in various educational and professional activities. At the close of World War II, at the age of 19, she was recognized for service to her country and the war effort for her work as a civilian employee of the Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories. Soon thereafter, Una moved to New York City and began a career at Macy’s – a job she often talked about with pride; later in life, she often regaled family, friends, and current Macy’s employees with hilarious stories about her work and her lifetime “grandfathered” Macy’s discount.

It was in New York City that Una also met her husband, Rodman K. Edmead. They were married for 55 years, until his passing in 2004. As young newlyweds, Una and Rodman were part of a lively New York social scene – so much so that their adventures occasionally ended up on the society pages of the famed Harlem newspaper, the New York Amsterdam News. Later, Una and Rodman raised three spirited children in New York City, Queens, and Long Island New York. Though she loved her career, Una left the workforce for several years to care for her son and two daughters, returning to Macy’s once her children were beyond primary school age. She loved her children fiercely, and challenged them at every turn. She took so much pride in watching them grow and mature. In 1987, Una and Rodman moved to Sarasota, Florida, where they lived for nearly 20 years. Their new home allowed them to take advantage of the joys of retirement, while also serving as a warm and welcoming space for regular visits from their children and grandchildren.

Una was a study in superlatives – she was strikingly beautiful and decidedly intelligent. She was independent, honest, forthright, proud, and kind. She was firm in her opinions, and always urged her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to relentlessly pursue their dreams and aspirations. She valued hard work but also loved the little pleasures of life, especially those that derived from a really good book and a quality pair of Daniel Green designer slippers. Una especially loved music – whether dancing at soirees, tuning in to the radio, playing her records and CDs, or listening to the “mix tapes” her niece used to send to her. Her favorite musicians were Johnny Hartman, Tony Bennett, and John Coltrane. Even later in life, she would drift to sleep to the melodic sound of “My One and Only Love.”

Family was everything to Una. She kept photographs, pictures and momentoes from her brother and his wife, her three children and their spouses, her two nieces, her eight grandchildren and their partners, her eleven great grandchildren, and countless friends and close colleagues. She documented everything in her notebook and ledger and kept a family keepsake box containing various correspondence, letters, notes, newspaper clippings, award announcements, and memorabilia related to her family.

Una is survived by her children, John Rodman Edmead and his wife Carol, Elease Edmead Wright and her husband Dana, and Susan Edmead Granger and her husband Gary; eight grandchildren, John Edmead and his wife Kristina, Kerie Edmead and his wife Rebecca, Kirinn Clare and her husband Matthew, Leah Wright Rigueur and her husband Philip, Kyle Wright, Lauren Granger, Lindsey Granger, and Justin Granger; eleven great-grandchildren, Aaren, Nailah, Malik, Preston and Blake Edmead; Kerie and Kellen Edmead; Mason and Jeremi Clare; Austin and Audrey Rigueur; her brother John Sears and his wife Iris; her two nieces, Denise Taylor and Joy Sears; grandnieces Brittany Zierow and Courtney Taylor; and many other cherished relatives and friends.

To the staff at Hebrew Healthcare and Affinity Skilled Living – thank you for taking care of Una, with such thoughtfulness, over the past few years. We also would like to extend a special thank you to Carolyn Levine for being such a wonderful guide and friend to Una for 17 years.

Una was our family’s bedrock and we will miss her terribly. She was an inspiration and we take comfort in acknowledging her significance and her sweeping legacy. We encourage family and friends, far and wide, to join us at Tuesday, May 7, 2019 1PM – 4PM Moloney’s Lake Funeral Home; 132 Ronkonkoma Avenue, Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 as we celebrate Una’s life and abundant legacy.