28 TIMES • MAY 19, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com 66 The QUeeNS CoUrier • buzz • maY 19, 2016 FOr breaking news visit www.qns.com Goodbye, Dear Sweet Louise Victoria’s Secrets Geraldo Does it Again and a New Era Begins Ed O’Donnell, Vicki Schneps, Geraldo and Erica Rivera, Janet Koch, Lynn Koufakis, and board member Steve Santino on Engineer’s Country Club golf course Dynamic for all the news 24 $1500 hours,off Lumineers 7 days $500 a off week Invisalign DENTAL go WORK to www.CALL FOR FREE CONSULTATION THE INVISIBLE WAY TO SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY STRAIGHTEN TEETH Third Generation Dentist timesnewsweekly.com 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 It was surprising to get a call from Susan Schneider, who is Louise Cavaliere’s sister. I immediately asked her “How is Louise?” since Louise has been battling cancer again for the past year after a five-year reprieve. She sadly said, “She is gone!” Gone? We worked together for 30 years. She was my first full-time salesperson when I started the company in my living room. It’s too hard to process. Apparently, she had had a heart attack while she was home alone. I knew she was in a battle with that nasty disease of cancer, but I had spoken to her on Friday after she joyously told me she had won back a client who had left our company and, working from home, had surpassed her sales goal for the last month. As she battled the cancer, I counseled her that my best medicine during a life crisis was work, and we would support her in any way if she wanted to work from home. And so, even under deathly drugs, when she could lift her head, she made calls and made sales with many of her old clients who have trusted her with their business for decades. Louise, a widow for many years, had two daughters – Melissa, a lawyer, and Julie, an actress who is engaged to be married in August 2017 — who were the light of her life. She talked endlessly of her pride in their accomplishments, sharing each step they took in their careers and life. We were always an extended family and the smile on Louise’s face when she talked about her girls lit up the office. Her other inseparable “best pals” were her dogs, Max, a Maltese she had rescued, and Casey, a Shih Tzu, she bought from our next-door neighbor Vanity Pups on Bell Boulevard. After all her years of service, she had a premier location desk by the window but I was always on her to get rid of her piles of papers on the windowsill and floor. Of course, she had file cabinets, but she just overflowed, filling every inch of space around her. That was Louise! And when she was well, she was our number one salesperson month after month. Managing her family alone these many years, I can picture her “schlepping” the bags of groceries bought on her lunch break up the stairs of our office, making every hour productive. Louise was 72. She is survived by her sister, Susan. Her devotion to her work, her colleagues, her dearest daughters and her family was endless. She was a caring, loving person who was cherished by all of us. May she rest in peace. I will miss her calm, reassuring, warm voice and sweet smile. Victoria SCHNEPS-YUNIS [email protected] tweet me @vschneps The sun shone brightly as the golfers checked in for the 29th annual geraldo rivera golf Outing honoring the remarkable restaurateurs and humanitarians gillis and george Poll. But another group checked in an hour earlier. My daughter samantha had organized a card party lunch for 90 of her closest friends. It was a new fundraising effort to benefit Life’s wOrC and it was a huge success. I felt déjà vu as I looked around the room at the beautiful women having fun and donating their time and money to the cause that meant so much to Samantha, in memory of her sister Lara . It was 1971, and Lara was only 3 years old and at the Willowbrook State School’s Infant Rehabilitation Center. A group of my neighbors and friends helped me create WORC to benefit the people who resided there. Just like Samantha’s friends, they were grateful to have “healthy” children and wanting to help because they cared. The early years were filled with fundraisers and organizing busloads of volunteers to help on the wards at Willowbrook. My heart burst with pride as Samantha spoke after a video was shown about the history of Life’s WORC, from its founding to the powerful, awardwinning coverage on TV by Geraldo Rivera of intolerable conditions at Willowbrook after severe budget cuts, to the present when there is still such a need to help people with disabilities. She had everyone in tears with her moving words of appreciation for the help of the women who, by their attendance at the fundraising luncheon, were making a difference. Today, help is still desperately needed to raise dollars to supplement the shrinking state funding for our 40 group homes and 20 day programs and new Family Center for Autism. And I was so proud to hear our development director share that 90 cents of every dollar raised goes to direct care. An impressive number! The next generation is in place in my business, with my son Josh at schneps Communications, and now my lifetime cause, Life’s WORC! Long live both! On the mend Here’s hoping that Community Board 5 C h a i r p e r s o n vincent arcuri makes a speedy recovery after undergoing knee r e p l a c e m e n t surgery last week. Arcuri’s been an active member of the Greater R i d g e w o o d area for years, and his leadership has helped make this area a great place to live and work. May his recovery be swift and may Vinny get back on his feet soon! Lynn Koufakis, golf chairman presented flowers to thank my daughter Samantha, for running the card and mah-jong luncheon Vincent Arcuri
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