Letitia Sage

SAGE Letitia Jane (nee Lyon): b. October 27 1916, d. July 18 2011, aged 94. Known to friends and family as Tish, Letty or sometimes Tisha Jane, Tish was born into a newspaper family in upstate New York, where her dad was editor of the Binghamton Sun. In young adulthood, Tish hosted a radio show in Binghamton, as Letty Lynn, then embarked on her newspaper career, first in Owego, NY and then at the Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard, where she met Joseph Sage, the young reporter who became her husband. Tish and Joe were married in 1943 and moved to New York City. Their daughter Jane was born in New York, and they moved to suburban New Jersey just before the birth of their son, Joe. Ramsey was their home from 1950 until Tish's last years. The family has comprised many newspapermen, magazine editors and public relations writers, with most family members working in more than one of those fields, including Tish. She worked for Beauty Fashion, a cosmetics industry trade magazine in New York, and continued to write a monthly column from home during the years she raised her chidren. Once the kids had gone to college, she returned to Manhattan full time as Beauty Fashion's editor. From there, she was scouted by Myrurgia Perfumes of Barcelona, as vice president of public relations at their US headquarters in New York. (The company merged with others in Europe and became Fragrances Selective, before her retirement.) Tish and Joe enjoyed many trips to Barcelona, Sanibel Island, Bermuda, Cape Cod, and Colorado. Business travels also brought Tish to destinations throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. Happy raising Momo the cow on her grandparents' farm as a child, working on her cherished backyard garden, picking blueberries in the woods or hiking in Campgaw and Ringwood—a woman of simple tastes and style—Tish was always the first to find humor in her career within the glamorous cosmetics industry. Many were surprised to realize Tish was vice president of a multinational corporation on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, as she was so active and enmeshed in the Bergen County during her working years, and for decades more during retirement: as a Girl Scout leader; as a member of the Ramsey Free Public Library board (also volunteering their PR efforts); as a member and volunteer at the Ramsey Historical Association and Old Stone House Museum (doing their PR, leading tours and dressing in vintage garb for local parades); as a member of the Ladies' Auxiliary at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood (including as a volunteer waitress at Kurth Cottage); as a member of the New Jersey Symphony (with which she traveled in later years to Norway, Jerusalem, Prague and more); and many others. Her biggest commitment and joy of all was with St. John's Memorial Episcopal Church in Ramsey, where she was a member of the Vestry, a Licensed Lay Reader, and a proud alto in the choir for decades. Tish was predeceased by her sister Virginia Deyo, and by her husband Joe in 1987. She is survived by her brother Jeff Lyon (Watkins Glen NY), sister Doris Frank (Berlin NJ), daughter Jane Hylicke (Bridgewater NJ) and son Joe Sage (Scottsdale AZ), as well as numerous loving nephews, grandnephews, a grandniece, her granddaughter and great-grandson. Tish was well known for a generosity of time and effort, her pure delight with people, endless patience, keen intelligence, creative insight and an irrepressibly optimistic spirit. The space she occupied in her family and community was enormous. Tish will be sorely missed and fondly remembered. Visitation will be held on Friday, July 22, 2011, from 9-9:30 AM at the Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home, 109 Darlington Avenue, Ramsey. Services are at 10 AM at St. John's Memorial Episcopal Church in Ramsey, followed by a private burial. Contributions may be made in memory of Letitia Sage to St John's Memorial Episcopal Church, the Ramsey Free Public Library or the Ramsey Historical Association. Please send tributes, memories and condolences to www.vanemburghsneider.com.