Obituaries

Evelyn V. McConlogue

Evelyn V. McConlogue of East Marion passed away at home with family on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. She was 92.

Evelyn was born in her childhood home in South Ozone Park on May 25, 1928. Her memories and stories of her childhood revolved around her family, her summers on a farm in Centereach and her “second home” at the American Legion up the street. 

Evelyn was a hard worker who worked throughout her life. She earned a scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Technology upon graduation from high school but didn’t think that her family could afford the supplies, so she declined and went right to work. She was a gifted and sought-after seamstress who worked in New York City’s fashion district. In later years she worked as a real estate agent and took great pride in trying to match people with their “forever” homes. 

Her devotion to service and volunteerism was a driving force throughout her life. She was active in the American Legion, starting as a junior member, for over 80 years. Evelyn was a past president of the Ladies Auxiliary at Griswold-Terry-Glover Post 803 in Southold. Until the end she enjoyed the monthly updates from the Legion and if asked to vote on anything to do with supporting the community or our troops, her answer was always a resounding “YES!”

Evelyn was also an active participant in her church, serving as a member of a variety of groups at St. Anthony’s in Queens, St. Bernard’s in Levittown and St. Agnes in Greenport. Her faith was such a strong part of who Evelyn was, as was her love of family. 

Evelyn met the love of her life when she was 19 years old. Her first date with Daniel McConlogue was to the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. They were married for 69 years and his passing three years ago was something she never fully recovered from. Their loving relationship and marriage remain a source of great joy to those who knew them. It is a source of great comfort that they are together again. Their love and affection for each other brought people closer to them and they loved being with family, friends and neighbors who were “family.” She was often heard calling friends and family with a joyful greeting of “It’s Evelyn, your friendly ‘checker-upper’!” followed by an hour-long chat. 

They raised their children in Levittown and in the early ’70s they built their own house in East Marion. Evelyn was proud to say that she had her own tool belt! 

She is survived by Daniel (Rose) of Fort Myers, Fla., Maureen Cordts of Yorba Linda, Calif., Agnes (Phil) Ferro of Setauket and Liam (Galina), of Easton, Pa.; 11 loving and devoted grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and an extended family of nieces and nephews, with whom she had an extremely close relationship. She struggled deeply with the loss of her sons Patrick and Joseph (aka Joby). In a Christmas letter she wrote two years after the loss of Joby, Evelyn shared this excerpt from Alexander Papaderos regarding the “meaning of life”:

I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have, I can reflect light into the dark places of this world — into the black places in the hearts of men and women — and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of life.

The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11, at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport. Interment will follow at East Marion Cemetery.

DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold is serving the family.

This is a paid notice.