Robert Nylund said his wife Dolores, was always a good athlete. He remembers playing street ball, punch ball and other street games on the block they shared as neighbors in Brooklyn when they were young, he said.

Mrs. Nylund, the mother of Babylon resident Richard Nylund, played basketball and field hockey in high school and was a great swimmer. As she got older, she took up golf and played every week. Although she was competitive, she held a mixed view on competition, a view that Mr. Nylund considers "completely unmasculine."

"She didn’t like to win if it hurt the other person," he said. "She would feel sorry for the other player."

Mrs. Nylund died from colon cancer at age 78 on June 13, 2001. She is survived by her husband and her children Janet Johnson of Pennsylvania, Paul Nylund of New Jersey, Richard Nylund of Babylon, Catherine Valente of Fairport and Marie Nylund of New Jersey. She is also survived by her sons-in-law Richard and Ronald, her daughters-in-law Kristine and Elizabeth and her 13 grandchildren: Kristen Pleibel; Michael and Brian Johnson; Jennifer, James, Amy, Katharine, Steven, Matthew, Christopher, Laura, Stephanie and Corinne Nylund and her great-grandson Jared Pleibel.

A homemaker for 52 years, Mrs. Nylund was a member of the Rosary Society at St. Barnabas Church in Bellmore. She volunteered for a Christian charity group called F.I.S.H. As a volunteer, she dedicated one day a month to driving sick or elderly people to hospitals and doctors offices. In her spare time, she enjoyed playing bridge, doing crossword puzzles and traveling. She had visited such places as Spain and Portugal.

At age 76, Mrs. Nylund attended Nassau Community College, where she received her associate’s degree.

"She was always interested in learning," said her son Richard. "She liked to keep busy physically and intellectually."

Mrs. Nylund reposed at the Wantagh Abbey Inc. in Wantagh on Friday, June 15, 2001. Prayers were said on Saturday, June 16 at St. Barnabas Church. She is buried at St. Charles Cemetery.