Linda Balamaci-Amitrano

Linda Sofia Balamaci Amitrano, 71, of Yonkers, New York, passed away peacefully at home on November 8, 2025, comforted by the warm embrace and unconditional love of her husband, Vincent Joseph Amitrano.
Born to immigrant parents of Aromanian ancestry, Linda was raised in the Bronx and moved to Manhattan to make her mark. She spent decades in the garment industry as a knitwear and fashion designer, creating everything from chic outerwear to extravagant Broadway costumes. She contributed to wardrobe design for television and movies, such as "The Game Show," and to costume design for Broadway productions, including "Annie" and "Cats."
After many years focused on her art, Linda decided also to become an educator, as her mother had been in Greece. She started a family with her husband Vincent and devoted herself to inspiring children to see the brilliance within themselves, motivated by the birth of her daughter Olivia. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts (B.F.A., 1976) and Manhattanville College (M.A. in Teaching, 2001), she combined her love of art, science, and literature to create classrooms where curiosity thrived. Her teaching career spanned several schools in the Bronx and Yonkers, including P.S. 105, Fieldston, Foxfire, and more, where she became known for her creative lesson plans and unwavering belief that every child could fall in love with learning.
Linda received the Foxfire School Curriculum Leadership Award for her innovative, discovery-based science program, and was a member of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society recognizing excellence in education. Her teaching focused on reading, literacy, and science-especially the Hudson River estuary ecosystem and New York's indigenous heritage. She believed deeply in the power of language to shape understanding and in the importance of curiosity to open the mind.
Beyond the classroom, Linda was an artist and writer with a sharp wit, a love of humor and culture, and a deep respect for everyday people. She found joy in sketching (especially cartoons on her daughter's lunch bags), reading, laughing through the films of Mel Brooks, and sharing with friends cartoons and quotes that reflected her unique blend of intellect and comedy.
Linda was predeceased by her parents Nicholas and Alexandra Balamaci and is survived by her husband Vincent J. Amitrano; her daughter Olivia Amitrano; her brother Nicholas Balamaci, his wife Caryn, and their children Julie (Rob Lavacca) and Andrew; her brother-in-law Matthew Amitrano; sister-in-law Carol Casey, her daughter Jennifer (Joseph Ciano) and their children Nicholas and Sophia; as well as Linda's lifelong best friend Vicki Dvorin. Her family and former students will remember her as a fierce advocate for children, a champion of the underdog, and a teacher who believed that every mind deserved a chance to shine.
In accordance with Linda's wishes, her remains will be cremated without funeral. A memorial dinner will be hosted by her family early in 2026. Donations in Linda's honor may be made to Room to Grow, a non-profit that provides low-income families with support for the first 3 years of their babies' lives: https://www.roomtogrow.org/what-we-do.