Lillian “Lovey” Rumfield Bryson passed away at the age of 94 on August 21, 2024 of complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Lovey was a lifetime resident of Massapequa Park, born there in 1929 to Charlotte Heerlein Rumfield and Frank M. Rumfield. Growing up, her house was always full, as her parents took in many foster children who she loved as siblings. She went to Massapequa School (now Fairfield Elementary School) and graduated from Amityville High School in 1947.

In 1948, she married her high school sweetheart, Gene “Corky” Bryson, who she had known as a family friend since they were children. In 1952 they moved into the home they built in Massapequa Park, where they raised their two children and lived the remainder of their lives. They went on many adventures together: camping across the country in their motor home, traveling to Belize for the Long Island Episcopal Cursillo and taking part in Elderhostel. Gene passed away in 2017 after 69 years of marriage.

Lovey was a prolific artist and writer. Until the very end of her life, she was constantly at work on a creative project. As a photographer, she saw the beauty in the little moments. She self-published many books filled with her words and photographs and shared them with family and friends.

Lovey has always held important positions in her local community. As trustee, historian and one of the founding members of the Historical Society of the Massapequas, she taught countless school children on field trips to the complex about the history of Native Americans in Massapequa. She was also a member of the zoning board for the village of Massapequa Park, a member of the Ladies Auxiliary in the Massapequa Fire Department, and a very active member of Grace Episcopal Church.

This devotion to her community was sparked by her family’s long history in Massapequa Park: her great-grandparents Clara Wittfelder and Louis Dessart were German immigrants who opened the Woodcastle Hotel in the 1860s, a tourist destination with a dining room, bowling alley, general store, dance hall & more. The Massapequa Fire Department ‘Park House’ now stands where the hotel once did.

Her family’s legacy was memorialized in 1989, when the triangle of land between Front Street and Clark Boulevard was named the Heerlein-Rumfield Memorial Park and commemorated with a stone marker that reads: “In honor of all our founding families. Yea we have a goodly heritage. Psalm 16:6.” This legacy lives on today: her family has had 6 generations & counting live on the same block in Massapequa Park.

Lovey will be remembered for her intense dedication to her family & friends: she was always there for anyone who needed her. Her charismatic personality drew many people to her; she made friends and connections wherever she went. She was a great story teller, and an even better listener. Her zest for life was contagious and she lived every day with curiosity.

She is survived by her children, Lisa and her husband Bill, and Barry (his wife Joanie passed in May 2023), as well as her grandchildren: Gaby, Rachel and her husband Christos, and Sam and his wife Ellie, and great-grandsons Jayden and Sonny and great-granddaughter Eleni Lillian.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in Lillian (Lovey) Bryson’s name to Grace Episcopal Church and The Historical Society of the Massapequas.

Grace Episcopal Church
23 Cedar Shore Drive
Massapequa, NY 11758

The Historical Society of the Massapequas
P.O. Box 211
Massapequa, NY 11758-0211

She will repose at Massapequa Funeral Home North Chapel on Saturday. August 24, 2-4 and 7-9. A memorial service at Grace Church will be at a later date.