Family and friends remembered Jean Inez Hersey at the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church on Cottage Row on July 21.

The life-long Glen Cove resident passed away on July 17 at the age of 79.

During a heat wave, the church was packed with those who came out to honor a woman who was active in the Glen Cove community.

Hersey was an employee at LILCO Keyspan for fifty years. She joined the company as a customer representative and energy specialist shortly after graduating from Glen Cove High School.

“LILCO’s customer service ratings were up when Jean was representing us” said Hersey's former boss, Jack Russell.

Active in several community organizations, Hersey was on the board of both La Fuerza Unida and the North Shore Historical Museum.

She had also served on boards of The Glen Cove Boys and Girls Club the Nassau County Youth Board and had been active in One Hundred Black Women, The Glen Cove Inter Agency Council, and the United Negro College Fund, and had worked tirelessly for her church where she had been a member all her life, serving on many church committees and singing in the Gospel Chorus.

Hersey was also an active member of the Democratic Party in Glen Cove, and Assemblyman Charles Lavine and Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi both spoke at her wake.

Hersey founded The Hand of Love – an organization first started many years ago by her mother Alberta Hersey that distributes clothing to the needy. Honoring her mother’s memory, Hersey named the non-profit the Dr. Alberta Hersey Foundation.

“The way she handled what she was dealt was an inspiration," said foundation board member Janice Deegan. "Her spirit shone though it all. I am privileged to have had as my friend.”