Lillian Agnes Baglivi
Lillian Agnes Baglivi of Greenport passed away on Dec. 4, 2020, at the age of 93.
Lillian was born in New York City to Albert and Josephine (Upton) Dobson. She was the youngest of four children and the last surviving family member. She adored her parents and her siblings, Robert, Katherine and Madelyn. She described herself as “a sort of doll child — drawing pictures mostly.” She loved to listen to the Yankee games with her Pop and remained a lifelong Yankee fan. They summered in a bungalow in the Rockaways.
She was the salutatorian of the Class of 1946 at Washington Irving High School, where she completed the fine and applied art course of four years. She continued her education at The Cooper Union School of Art in Manhattan and later became art director of fashion and accessories of Macy’s and Sterns in New York City. She modeled for many pictures that appeared in their ads.
She met the love of her life, Harry, a very handsome U.S. Navy veteran and New York City firefighter, at a dance. They loved to tell their story of the “Thunderbolt of Love” that struck them both. She wrote, “Cupid hit me with an arrow … left me weaker than a sparrow, one look, one dance was all it took to know my heart was really hooked.” They were engaged two weeks later and married on Feb. 3, 1951. Their marriage spanned 64 years until Harry passed away on January 24, 2015.
Settling in Garden City, she taught private art lessons in their home and in the summer had an art show in the backyard. She became a Cub Scout leader and a substitute art teacher in the Garden City schools.
In 1970 they vacationed on Nassau Point in Cutchogue. Before the vacation ended they purchased a summer home there. When they moved to the North Fork full time, she managed the cosmetic department at Swezey’s Department Store in Riverhead.
She turned her artistic talent to quilting and became a master quilter. As a member of the Eastern Long Island Quilters Guild, she won countless ribbons for her quilts, most of them original designs. She edited their newsletter and taught quilting techniques at the guild. A guild member described her as one of the most talented quilters in the guild. When Lillian and Harry moved to Peconic Landing in Greenport in 2009, she continued to quilt and was a member of the Stitchers and Quilters Club.
Lillian is survived by her son John Baglivi; her daughter, Carol Worth; her son James Baglivi and his wife, Lisa Baglivi; six grandchildren and three great-grandsons.
A private graveside service was held at Calverton National Cemetery.
This is a paid notice.
