Obituaries
We created the UFT Honors site for memorials to the cherished UFT members we lost during the pandemic. We are now memorializing ALL UFT members who have died since March 2020 on the new site.
Wish to commemorate a UFT member who has recently passed away? Please fill out our online form.
If you are looking for an obituary for a member who died prior to March 2020, you can search for their name to see if they are listed on this page.
Benjamina Hillery
Benjamina Hillery was a UFT member for over 35 years, most recently as a teacher at PS 304 in Brooklyn.
Suzanne Darrigrand
Suzanne Darrigrand spent 28 years as a dedicated teacher in various schools, most recently sharing her love of music with the students of PS 15 in the Bronx.
Jacqueline Diaz-Olive
Jacqueline Diaz-Olive was a dedicated paraprofessional for District 12 in the Bronx for over 35 years.
Charles Sutera
Charles Sutera, who served as the UFT’s vice president for middle schools from 1987 to 1995, passed away on May 3.
Malcolm Sellinger
Malcolm Sellinger was a UFT member for 61 years.
Phyllis Frishberg
Phyllis Frishberg was a UFT member for 20 years, most recently as a school secretary in Brooklyn.
Rosemary Tunney
Rosemary Tunney was an educator and social worker at District 11 in the Bronx and supervised and mentored many of her colleagues over the span of her career from the 1980s to the 2000s.
Mary Lopez
Mary Lopez was a UFT member for 30 years, teaching English language learners in the Bronx.
Gina Silverstein
Gina Silverstein began her teaching career at PS 153 in Maspeth, Queens, at the age of 19. She taught there for over 40 years before retiring.
Olive Archer
Olive Archer came to teaching as a second career and became an early childhood literacy expert in the Bronx.