Irene Pendzick, a trailblazer for women in Riverhead politics and a longtime elected official, died Saturday at Peconic Bay Medical Center Skilled Nursing Facility in Riverhead.
Pendzick, 89, served in elective office for 28 years. In 1963, she became the first woman elected as receiver of taxes in Riverhead. She served in that post until she was elected town clerk in 1977, a post she held until 1991. She also served as a member of the Riverhead Board of Ethics for 11 years.
Pendzick remained a stalwart in Riverhead Town Democratic Party politics until she was sidelined by a stroke on April 23. A force to be reckoned with, Pendzick was an organizer and campaign strategist for decades. Her love of politics and her commitment to getting Democrats elected to local office never waned.
“Irene was one of the hardest working people on the committee,” former Riverhead Town Democratic Committee chairwoman Marjorie Acevedo said. “She was not only always full of great ideas, she was the type of person who always rolled up her sleeves and got to work.”
Over the years, Acevedo and Pendzick became close personal friends. “We spoke on the phone at least once a day,” Acevedo said. “She was a good friend and mentor. I miss her so much.”
Pendzick was a founding member of the Polish Town Civic Association, in which she remained active. She was the first president of the civic group and an organizer of the first Polish Town Street Fair and Festival, which was held every year from 1975 until last year, when it was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.
“She was the mother of our civic association and so instrumental right up until the present,” said Polish Town Civic Association president Kay Davis.
“We had such admiration for her. She had so much energy and so much knowledge. She was always ready to help, always ready to answer questions,” Davis said.
Pendzick loved history and initiated the establishment of the Polish Immigrant Museum inside the Polish Town Civic Association’s chalet on Lincoln Street. Its exhibits included a replica circa-1900 Polish cottage kitchen, numerous artifacts and photographs, a display saluting famous Polish Americans — including President George Washington, a direct descendent of the first king of Poland — and a spectacular mural-size photo of a 1959 gala event in Polish Hall.
Born in 1931 in New Jersey, she grew up in Northport and moved to Calverton upon her marriage to farmer Isidore Pendzick in 1949. See obituary.
Visitation will take place at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home, 336 Marcy Avenue, Riverhead, on Thursday and Friday, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. each day. A funeral Mass will take place on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at St. Isidore R.C. Church in Riverhead with interment following at St. Isidore’s Cemetery.
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