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Overcast Audrey Speno Glacken, 1919 - 2014
Wife of late State Sen. Edward Speno dies at 94
Audrey Speno Glacken, the widow of State Sen. Edward James Speno, died on April 19. She was 94.
Born into a Navy family in Colon, Panama, and raised in Richmond Hill, Queens, Audrey Bernichon attended Cornell University, where she studied early childhood education and home economics. She was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, and graduated with honors in 1942. Her studies continued at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University, where she earned a master’s in education with honors in 1946.
Audrey began teaching kindergarten through fourth grade in New York City in 1942. She continued teaching until 1956 at Bowling Green Elementary School in East Meadow. There she shared with her students her love of history, music and the arts.
She married Lt. Edward James Speno, and the couple settled on Long Island, where Edward became a state senator. They raised four children, balancing a busy family life with the demands of political service. Speno died in 1971.
Six years later, Audrey married Joseph Glacken, of Freeport. They moved to Boynton Beach, Fla., in 1979.
Among her many accomplishments, Audrey was a consultant to Bankers Trust New York and a member of the board of trustees of Molloy College in Rockville Centre. Active in many charities over the years, she was a recipient of the Hofstra University Council Award, was named a Kiwanis Woman of the Year and was recognized for her efforts as chair of fundraising for the American Cancer Society.
Audrey enjoyed a happy and contented retired life with her family and friends. Her hobbies included raising orchids, playing piano, reading, doing crossword puzzles and attending theater and ballet. She took great pleasure in daily correspondence, typing cards and special notes.
She is survived by her husband; four children, Edward James Speno Jr., Sarah Rose Speno, Thomas Robert Speno and Amy Lou Speno Geraci; six grandchildren, Richard Speno, Audrey Ann Geraci, Lauren Speno, Edward James Speno II, Thomas Speno and Edward Chevalier Speno; and three great-grandchildren, James Brody Speno, Sophie Lee Speno and Drake Speno. She was pre-deceased by two brothers, Clay Bernichon and John Bernichon.
Her funeral service was scheduled for April 23 in Lantana, Fla. Contributions can be made in her memory to the Audrey Ann Geraci Special Needs Trust, named for her granddaughter, and mailed to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Geraci, 6735 Lake Island Drive, Lake Worth, Fla., 33467.
