On Saturday, June 2, 2018, I lost one of my very best friends! It is especially difficult because she was my mom first. Anyone who knew Dorothy Bosshammer knew she was a very loving woman. Known to most as Momma B, she brought many smiles to her ever-expanding circle of loved ones.

Dorothy was one of four siblings, and was predeceased by her sister Catherine, and brother, Larry. Her sister Jeannie Schneebeli currently resides in Easton, MD.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, she later moved east to Long Island. After graduating from high school, she went on to work at the Islip Town Hill for a period of time. Following that, she went on to work at the catalog division of Sears Roebuck in Bay Shore, NY.

Momma B had a very difficult time with pregnancies and lost three babies. A will as strong as iron was what permitted her to raise two children, a son, Leonard and a daughter, Dorothy.

The loss of those babies was something that she never forgot, and grieved essentially for the rest of her life Momma B had a great deal of interest in appearances.

She would go nowhere without her hair just so, the make-up in place, and so on. Not normally a problem, except when she dropped a very large bowl on her foot in her apartment in Bay Shore. There, paramedics were told by Momma B to wait until she was “ready” to go out. Those young men waited. What could they do?

Common sense is not as common as it once was. Momma B could take away tears with a smile, or an anecdote to make you feel better. She understood the way of the world we live in, and that understanding boiled down to, “it is what it is”.

This leaves no room for debate!

Momma B understood that family is the best gift. She knew that if you give all of yourself, you still have you left. You can give all, and yet lose nothing! As such, for family she would stop at nothing.

Her children were the world to her, and as the kids got older and married, the circle of family grew wider, and she so welcomed the new additions to the family. Patricia Jeffrey and Michael Schiavone married her son and daughter respectively.

Life on earth does not come with instructions. What helps in a significant way is a good sense of humor, and Momma B knew that. She would crack a joke, but no-one was the punch line. Circumstances, not people were the butt of her jokes!

A devout Catholic, she was very much involved in church activities, most especially at Our Lady of Lourdes church in West Islip, NY. From there she volunteered in the choir, Silver Linings, the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, and so on.

Her loss is sure to be real, enduring, and far-reaching. She gave her all, and all will miss her very much! We love you Momma B.

Funeral Services will be held at 1pm Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at the Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 10 S. Main St., Sherburne with interment in West Hill Cemetery.

Friends are invited to call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 11am to 1pm prior to the service.

To send a condolence and sign the Book of Memories online go to www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com