Montauk Pioneer - October 31, 2008

Edna Biase has had a long and productive life in Montauk, and last Sunday she celebrated her 90th birthday, (which was actually on October 25,) surrounded by friends and family at the Montauk Community Church, following the morning worship service.

This was appropriate, since Edna has long served this church as a Deacon, as a member of the Women's Guild, and as a leader of the many bake sales she has run over the years. An avid baker herself, Edna has become famous for her wonderful lemon meringue pies.

A crowd of about 60 people gathered in the church basement for a luncheon in her honor. Edna's daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Joe Nye, of Montauk, gave this birthday party along with Edna's son, William Biase, of Alabama and Montauk. They also presented a wonderful slide show of their mother's life, growing up in Montauk during the renowned 1920s era, when developer Carl Fisher was building this community.

"My mother was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1918, when it was a Scandinavian community, and her last name was Sorensen," explained Carol Nye. "She and her family then moved to Montauk in about 1926, at the same time Carl Fisher was starting to build his dream of developing Montauk as the 'Miami of the North.'"

Edna Biase's father, Oscar George Sorensen, got a job as a carpenter for Fisher, helping to build his famous Tudor-style buildings all around town, as well as the Montauk Manor, Montauk Yacht Club, and office buildings downtown. Nye showed photos of Edna swimming in the bay, and of her growing up in a small house in the old fishing village, near Duryea's Lobster House. Gene Beckwith, who was also in the crowd, commented that his house was right next door to Edna's, growing up. There were also photos of the old Union News dock in the fishing village. They went to Montauk Grade School and East Hampton High School. There was a photo of Edna and her uncle Jack, who helped lay the Nappeague Road, at her high school graduation in 1936.

There were more archival photos of the old fishing village, destroyed by the Hurricane of 1938, which Edna lived through. After high school, she worked at Grants Department Store in New York City, for $15 an hour. She married Malcolm Macdonald, a local Montauk serviceman, who she also went to school with, and they had one daughter, Carol. They relocated to South Carolina and Kentucky, and then marriage eventually ended.

Edna eventually returned to Montauk, where she met and married another serviceman, Bill Biase, of Connecticut. They had two more children, William and Chrissie, who is since deceased. While raising her family, Edna enjoyed spending time at the beach and going berry picking in the woods. She also became active in her community, as a secretary to the Montauk Historical Society, on the Archival Committee of the Montauk Library, with the Montauk PTA, and with the local scout troops.

She later traveled to Norway with her sister, to England, South Dakota, and other places on trips. Today, she and Bill live in their same house in the Shepherd's Neck area.

Many people shared fond memories of Edna Biase, including her long-time friend Louise Nielson. "I didn't drive, so Edna used to take me and my children to the beach," she said. "We packed all the kids into an old Plymouth station wagon and off we went. She was the bravest lady in Montauk."

Libby Lane, another friend, thanked Edna for "70 years of friendship and great times."

Jeanne Ruggles thanked Edna for her "strong influence with the Women's Guild of the Montauk Community Church. "We became known as Edna's girls, helping her with whatever she needed, at the bake sales and the Christmas fairs," said Ruggles.

Betsy White also thanked Edna for her "detailed minutes" as secretary of the Montauk Historical Society. "She was the most faithful member we've ever had," she said.

Betty Pfund, another friend, thanked Edna for being a mentor in the church family. "She is a shining beam who never gives up, and she has great faith," she said.

And Edna's son, Willie, praised his mother's fried chicken. "She cooked the meanest fried chicken in town, and once she even cooked enough for my whole class at school," he said. The whole family gathered as Edna cut her 90th birthday cake and smiled with pleasure at all the great memories on this momentous occasion.