Obituary of Ismenia Sweeney

Ismenia (Betsy) Sweeney Ismenia Sweeney, born in Manhattan on June 28, 1934, passed away peacefully at home on May 21, 2022. She grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and was an honor student at the High School of Commerce. In 1951, she married Thomas Sweeney, and moved to Staten Island after the birth of their daughter where she lived for the past 70 years. She worked for NYC Health + Hospitals as an administrative assistant at Sea View Hospital for 27 years, and retired in 1993. After her retirement, she attended classes at Staten Island Community College, and volunteered to help care for her two grandsons (which she referred to as a “labor of love”). She had many friends throughout her life, and was still very close with them during her final days. In the late 1960's, she began hosting an annual St. Patrick's Day dinner for 60 of her closest friends. She enjoyed music, dancing, playing bingo, as well as traveling - especially to the Caribbean, New England, and Atlantic City. She was always quoting a passage or a line from a classic book or movie. She also enjoyed reading mystery novels. For the past 34 years, she was known as “Sweetie Pie”, the nickname given by her grandsons. She enjoyed attending all of her grandsons’ music and sports activities, and was a Library volunteer at PS 30. She never missed a chance to help anyone, and always put her family before herself. Her daughters said she was the most loving, generous, selfless human being on Earth. She was predeceased by her parents Rosa and Pedro Saro, brother Peter Saro, former husband Thomas, and partner Jim DeStasio. She was the loving mother of Roseann Sweeney, Diane Sweeney-Senerchia (Frank), devoted grandmother of Russell Julian Jones (Christina Kenny), Noel Thomas Jones, fond sister-in-law of Michael & Mary Sweeney, and had many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, please donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl, Memphis, TN 38105.