Sondra "Sunny" Kolleeny's Obituary
Kolleeny, Sondra Mintz. Sondra “Sunny” Kolleeny passed away peacefully at her home in Aventura, Florida on July 28, 2024 at the age of 96. Born January 21, 1928 in the Bronx, NY, to Irving and Gloria Mintz, she received a B.A. degree in Journalism (along with the Journalism Award) and an M.A. degree in Education from Hunter College in New York City. Sunny taught in the New York City School system, and was a reading consultant with the Department of Special Reading Services under the NYC Board of Education. She married her husband Leonard in 1950, and in 1958 they moved to Irvington, NY. Sunny was a long-time resident of Irvington and taught advanced reading and remedial reading in the English Department at Irvington High School for many years. She retired from IHS in 1982 on disability, due to her failing eyesight. Sunny always said the most gratifying years of her teaching career were those at IHS. Her sons Glenn, Jonathan and Derek are all graduates of IHS. Sunny was very politically active during the period of social change in the 1960s and 1970s. She participated in the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, and was a member of the Women’s Strike for Peace during the Vietnam War, taking part in many anti-war demonstrations, including the March on the Pentagon in 1967. She also attended the first National Women’s Conference in Houston, TX in 1977. Sunny loved many types of music, from folk music to opera to disco. She loved to sing, and once sang on stage with Pete Seeger at a Hudson River Clearwater Festival. Sunny is predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Leonard, who died in 2015. She is survived by her three sons, Glenn, Jonathan, and Derek, her grandchildren Ivan, Alejandro, Marlon, Simone, Isabella and Philip, and her sister Karleen “Kandy” Kassan
What’s your fondest memory of Sondra?
What’s a lesson you learned from Sondra?
Share a story where Sondra's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Sondra you’ll never forget.
How did Sondra make you smile?