Norma Gonsalves

Norma Lucia Gonsalves (née Cordaro), age 90, died in East Meadow, New York on February 4, 2025.

Norma was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 11, 1934. She graduated from St. Joseph's College for Women, also in Brooklyn, with a bachelor of arts degree in History and received her master of arts degree from Hunter College and Brooklyn College. She was an educator for a total of 25 years in the New York City school system, for many years at a junior high school in Bushwick. It was during her training to become a teacher, when she was volunteering at a summer camp in East New York, that she met John Gonsalves. They were married in 1962 and moved to East Meadow that same year, to the house where they lived the rest of their lives. John, who was also a teacher and administrator in the New York City school system, died in 2019.

Norma taught English and was particularly fond of introducing her students to plays, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She also shared her lifelong interest in the performing arts, encouraging several of her students to pursue acting careers and was proud to see many of them appear over the years on television or in the theater in NYC. In the 1960s, she took several years off from teaching to raise her children, but returned to the classroom when they were a bit older, eventually retiring in 1993.

Norma's passion and flair for teaching were matched by her interest in and devotion to the life of her community, starting with the Parent-Teachers Association in the East Meadow School system. She was the founder of the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations and a member of many civic organizations including the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of East Meadow. She was also a noted community watchdog in her own right, and was part of the community advisory committees for the Nassau County Correctional Facility and the Town of Hempstead solid waste management efforts.

After retirement from teaching, Norma ran for local office, and was elected in 1998 to represent East Meadow and surrounding communities in the newly established Nassau County Legislature. A Republican, she served in the legislature for 19 years, rising to become its leader as Presiding Officer in 2011. During her time in office, Norma took pride in listening to and responding effectively to the needs of all her constituents, including by working with colleagues across the aisle to better serve the community as a whole. Upon her retirement-her second one-in 2017, she said: "It has been an honor to serve the taxpayers of the County and my constituents in the 13th [legislative district]," Gonsalves said in a statement. "Lowering crime and implementing the NARCAN program were two of the many public safety initiatives of which I am very proud. On a personal level I take pride in establishing the Hispanic Heritage month and outreach to the Latino community; establishing a Veterans Clinic at Nassau University Medical Center; and sustaining the Cornell Cooperative Farm in East Meadow."

Norma garnered many awards over her career including the 2022 Town of Hempstead Pathfinder Award, 1998 Woman of Distinction from the New York State Senate, the 1999 Woman of the Year from the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce and the 2015 Marvin Bernstein Humanitarian Award from the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce.

Norma is survived by her three children, Gregg Gonsalves, Dana Gonsalves and Carin Gonsalves, and four grandchildren.

Visiting hours will be from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and from 7:00-9:00 pm on Wednesday, February 12 and Thursday, February 13, 2025 at Leo F. Kearns Funeral Home in East Meadow.

A Catholic Funeral Mass will take place at 9:45 am on Friday, February 14, 2025 at St. Raphael's Parish in East Meadow.