Mary Ita Dwyer, Former N. Hempstead Democratic Party Leader, Dies

EAST WILLISTON, NY — "A good life was lived" was how Mary Ita Dwyer's son Thomas K. Dwyer remembered the former East Williston resident who led the Town of North Hemsptead's Democratic party in the 1980s. Dwyer passed away at age 88 in Greenport on Oct. 19, her family said.

Dwyer taught at North Side School in East Williston, Newsday reported, where she represented fellow teachers in the union. In 1991, she helped town Democrats gain majority control of North Hempstead as the town's Democratic Party head.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli told Newsday that “she played a key role in helping to maximize the Democratic vote in the Republican part of the town and supported so many of us who ran for state office."

Dwyer's son Thomas Dwyer also served as a North Hempstead council member. He remembered his mother and her accomplishments in a eulogy he shared with Patch:

"We lost a great Irish-American last night. Mary Ita, a fiercely loyal person who had a list of life achievements, too long to list, passed away last night. But perhaps my mom's most treasured achievement was our family. My mom and dad, Judge Tom Dwyer, raised all six of their children and the next generation of 13 grand children to recognize the importance of traditions and family values."

Thomas Dwyer noted how his mother was a trailblazer in many ways.

"She was a political leader in the '80s, when most of the leaders were men. She was a union leader for the teachers in her school district. She would often be found helping community members who were less fortunate than her or had recently emigrated to the US. And she loved teaching children to read and write in the most creative ways," he wrote.

Dwyer lived in East Williston from 1958 until 2000, when she moved to Shelter Island where she spent her later years.