Maria Adeline Weiser (Cirigliano) passed away on August 21 at the age of 87 after a brief battle with peritoneal cancer. She spent her last hours surrounded by her family, holding the hand of her loving husband.
Maria is survived by her husband of 64 years, John W. Weiser and eight children: John A Weiser (Shoshana Zax), Katharine Weiser (Rick McKinney), Thomas Weiser, Alice Weiser-Snodgrass (Joel Snodgrass), Anne Weiser-Maimone, Stefan Weiser, Michael Weiser (Theresa Dunn) and Christopher Weiser. She is predeceased by her son Nicholas. She has 11 grandchildren: Samuel Weiser, Ariel Weiser, Tennessee Mowrey, Amory Mowrey, Annaliese Snodgrass, Koloman Snodgrass, Eliza Snodgrass, Chiara Maimone, Rocco Maimone, Claudia Maimone, and Michael Weiser and six surviving siblings.
Maria was born in Brooklyn, NY to Alice and Caesar Cirigliano on May 15, 1931. Maria graduated from Fordham University in 1953 and taught at the New York School for the Deaf. She was an avid swimmer, a junior New York City champion, and it was through swimming that she met her beloved husband, John, at the age of 16. They were married in New York City in 1954.
Maria was a devoted wife and mother and she extended her maternal care into many communities. Generosity and selflessness were the cornerstones of her character and she communicated joyful appreciation to all she met. She had a rare ability to connect genuinely to people from all walks of life.
Maria will be celebrated with a wake on Sept 7 at M.A. Connell Funeral Home in Huntington. A funeral mass will be said in her honor at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport at 11 a.m. on Sept. 8. A celebration of her life will continue in California, with a mass at St. Anselm Church in Ross on Oct. 6 at 11 a.m.
