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Josephine A. Reder, longtime Plainedge School trustee
"It was the happiest time of her life," said her longtime friend Rhona Vitagliano. "That gives me great solace." Josephine (Dolly) Reder, a longtime Massapequa resident and school board trustee died following a brief illness on July 22, 2007. She was 61 years old. Mrs. Reder was born and raised in the Midwood section of Brooklyn and graduated from Fontbonne Hall Academy. For 18 years she served as a trustee and on the Plainedge School Board, the last four years as president. She helped to shape the school district and usher it through some of its most difficult financial times. Sharing her tenure on the board for a portion of that time was her colleague Vitagliano. "We never agreed on everything, but I respected her," said Vitagliano. "She fought for what she believed in and always had the best interests of her community at heart." The two were a strong presence on the school board for many years. Vitagliano told then superintendent Clint Barter that if the two women ever agreed on an issue, "he would be in big trouble," she recalled laughing. In the late 1990s, with the district in financial strife, Reder worked to get concessions from the powerful teachers union in a controversial negotiation that lingered for 18 months. "There is no question in my mind that she left the district in better shape than she found it," said Vitagliano. "She was a dedicated woman who often had to make hard decisions and she did it with strength and conviction," said Carolyn James, editor of the Massapequa Post who covered the district during Reder's tenure. "For many, that is the only Josephine Reder they knew, but I was fortunate to have also known the woman for her warmth, her fairness and her kindness." In addition to her work for the Plainedge School Board, Mrs. Reder served as president of the Northedge PTA and was the New York State Legislative Liaison for the Nassau-Suffolk School Board Association for 16 years. She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Massapequas and a licensed real estate broker. Her son Edward described his mother as a woman "who gave generously to her community. "When she went into real estate, I think it was the perfect match because she could still serve people," he said. "I think enjoyed meeting people and showing off her community and praising the Plainedge schools to clients." Mrs. Reder is survived by her husband of 39 years Edward and by her son Edward and daughter-in-law Claire. Her mother Anna Ruggiero also survives her, as do her brothers Anthony and his wife Neliva, and Pat and his wife Shari, her grandchildren Andrew and Samantha and her nieces and nephews: Anthony, Denise, Ross, Halee, and Brett Ruggiero. Her father Anthony predeceased her. Mrs. Reder reposed at the James Funeral Home, 540 Broadway, Massapequa on Tuesday. A funeral Mass was said at Maria Regina R.C. Church Seaford yesterday. Cremation was private. Donations in her name would be gratefully accepted to the Joseph A. Reder Memorial Scholarship Fund, 241 Wyngate Dr., Massapequa NY 11758, which her family said would extend her lifelong passion for education in her community.
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