IN MEMORIAM

‘Jem’ Nader Mitrano, 92,

Sister Of Former Mayor,

Succumbs To Coronavirus

ONEONTA – Jemele “Jem” Nader Mitrano, 92, Oneonta native and sister of former Mayor Sam Nader, stricken with the coronavirus, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 12, at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut.

Jem was born on Sept. 22, 1927, the eve of the Tunney-Dempsey fight, in Oneonta, to Elias and Rose Nader.  Her family resided in Oneonta’s Sixth Ward, where Jem was an active community member.

For more than 10 years, she worked at Bendix in Sidney as an assembler, where her boss told her she produced faster than his machines.

Jem met her husband, Dominick, while he was in town from Manhattan for the summer to visit his relatives. The couple married six months later in 1965, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oneonta. They settled down in Manhattan’s West Village initially.

In the city, Jem worked for Wormser Hat Co. for 15 years until its closing. After, she worked for New Hermes Plastic Engraving Co. When its doors closed, Jem decided to retire.

However, Jem, who never liked to sit still and embodied the quality of ambition, quickly became bored with retirement and took another job as a secretary and bookkeeper for Summa Capital in the Empire State Building. She routinely walked the two-and-one-half mile commute from her East Village apartment to the Empire State Building.

The youngest of six children, Jem remained close to both her family and Dominick’s family. She was born to entertain and party. Jem especially enjoyed cooking for family and friends and hosting holidays in her home. She was known for her large Easter celebrations, as she was a devout Catholic.

Jem lived in Manhattan for more than 54 years and she was an involved member of her community.  She served as a Eucharistic Minister at her parish, Most Holy Redeemer, on the Lower East Side. She also served on the New York City Board of Elections and was an active member of CancerCare.

Jem looked forward to the summertime, not only because she loved the sun, but because she often returned home to Oneonta to spend time with her siblings, large extended family and childhood friends.

Jem’s biggest pride and joy was her family, especially her daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time with them in Connecticut and New York, attending their sporting events and recitals and vacationing with them.

Jem was predeceased by her parents; sisters Adele, Dorothy and Julia; brother Nausif; and husband, Dominick.

She is survived by her daughter, Anissa of Wilton, Conn.; son-in-law, James; grandchildren, James Dominick, Jacquelyn and Aidan; brother, Sam of Oneonta; as well as many loving nieces and nephews, their spouses and children.
Arrangements will be made at a later date, when it is safe to do so.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jem may be made to Fairfield Preparatory School Christian Service program at www.fairfieldprep.org/give or mail to Fairfield College Preparatory School, Attn: Development Office, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824 (if making a gift by check, please reference Jem Mitrano in the notes section), Robin Hood’s New York City Healthcare Heroes Initiative at give.robinhood.org/give/280708, or Most Holy Redeemer Nativity Church at https://mhr173.churchgiving.com.