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Ellen Weisenberg, wife of former assemblyman, dies at 81

Longtime Long Beach resident was an advocate for those with special needs

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Ellen Weisenberg, the wife of former State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg who was known as an advocate for those with special needs and a prominent member of the community, died on Monday at South Nassau Communities Hospital after a long illness. She was 81.

Weisenberg lost a “courageous” battle with complications of metastatic melanoma, her daughter, Julie Laufer, wrote of her “beautiful, strong mother” on Facebook.

Funeral services were held on Wednesday at Gutterman’s Funeral Home in Rockville Centre.

Throughout their 50-year marriage, Ellen Weisenberg was a constant presence by her husband’s side, including the 25 years he served the 20th Assembly District. She was also an active member of the community in her own right.

“ … The couple was inseparable,” Laufer wrote. “On any day you might find the two holding hands on a walk along Long Beach’s boardwalk, waving hello to their many friends. Together they forged a tireless journey over the decades to advocate support for funding and resources on behalf of families with special-needs children via political, professional and personal forums in New York state and across the United States.”

The Weisenbergs were the parents of a developmentally disabled son, Ricky, 57, who inspired the couple last year to launch the Harvey & Ellen Weisenberg Special Needs Resource Corp., a nonprofit that includes an online resource center and a free smartphone app for the families and caregivers of those with special needs.

“God blessed me with Ellen — I admire and respect her and I thank God every day for the privilege of having her in my life,” Harvey said in a recent interview on the organization’s website. “She has an innate desire to make people happy. To know her is to love her — she never had a bad word to say about anybody. We had five wonderful children — and God blessed us with a special child to care for.”

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