STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Antoinette 'Auntie' Awaid, 100, of Annadale, a retired seamstress who is remembered for her devotion to her faith, died Tuesday in Staten Island University Hospital, in Ocean Breeze.
Born in Aleppo, Syria, she immigrated to the United States as a child. She lived most of her life in Brooklyn before moving to Great Kills in 2004 and to Annadale a short time later.
Miss Awaid was a member of the former International Ladies' Garment Workers Union for 40 years. She retired at age 65.
She was a member of many religious organizations, including the Third Order of St. Francis in Manhattan.
She also taught Sunday school and sang in a church choir in Brooklyn. She attended mass at South Shore churches including St. Clare's R.C. Church, Great Kills, and Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church, Huguenot.
"She loved her religion and spread the word to everyone she met," said her nieces, Rosie Durante and Joyce Masella. "We attribute her longevity to her religious faith."
Miss Awaid was also well-traveled and enjoyed spending time on the beach.
The funeral will be tomorrow from the Casey-McCallum-Rice South Shore Funeral Home, Great Kills, with a mass at 11 a.m. in St. Clare's Church. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.
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