Hedy C. Valledolmo, 71, of Little Egg Harbor, NJ, died Tuesday, September 7th, after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer nearly two years.
Hedy was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and moved to Staten Island in the early 1970s, where she lived for many years. She and her husband Thomas moved to Little Egg Harbor in July 2016, to a wonderful community aged 55 and over, Four Seasons at Harbor Bay. She made many friends there and was involved in a number of activities with the Women’s Club, Social Committee, Congregational Letter, and Game Club.
Hedy spent several years in newspaper advertising on Staten Island for the Islander / Marketeer before retiring from the New York City Board of Education as a paraprofessional working with disabled children at Rocco Laurie Intermediate School. In 2004 she retired.
She loved to travel, especially on cruises. She and her husband have taken 98 cruises together, but she has done well over 100 cruises as she was an active cruise long before they met in 1995. She also loved music. She was an avid fan of Barbra Streisand, whom she described as “just another Jewish girl from Brooklyn”.
“We met through a personal ad on Advance, had a two-hour lunch on our first date, and were inseparable from that day,” said husband Tom. “We had 25 great years together and I will be forever grateful that God gave us this.”
Hedy was previously deceased by her parents Bertha and Benjamin Gordon and her sister Sandra Driskill.
She leaves behind her loving husband Thomas, son Ken Freiberg from Linden, NJ, nieces Michele Maibruch from Staten Island and Janine Rivers from Saginaw, Michigan, grandchildren, Benjamin and Karly Freiberg from Ridgefield, NJ, and several great-nieces and great-nephews.
She is also survived by countless friends she has made on land and water.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 10, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. at Woodbridge Memorial Gardens in Woodbridge, NJ. The service takes place in the chapel in Tower B.
Instead of flowers, the family is asking for donations for pancreatic cancer research. They can be created through the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on the website pancan.org.
