School Story:
When Ceil came to Sea Cliff from St. Boniface she was already a part of the class. In the summer between the two schools her older sister, a friend of Dorey Sprague (’55) had introduced her to Dorey’s younger sister Betty and soon her friends included Lee Berroyer, Judy Brown and other future classmates. Nevertheless, Ceil says, “I was definitely shy. I wouldn’t raise my hand in class and I was petrified if I was called on.” Why the middle sister of five siblings should be shy, she doesn’t know. Nevertheless she enjoyed school except a few incidents, including math teacher Don Thompson telling her she was not prepared for advanced algebra. She would go on to spend most of her working life doing math.
As the senior year rolled on she toyed with the idea of becoming an airline stewardess like her cousin, but decided not to pursue it. With the encouragement of Barbara Wade (’56), she left the Island to attend Georgetown Visitation, a two year Catholic college for girls in Washington, DC. By the time she arrived Barbara had departed, perhaps because of an unconsummated elopement with Art Kaufman (’56) earlier in the year when he sprung her from school and they headed for South Carolina where marriage required no waiting period. (Both sets of parents called out the police and started a man and woman hunt, though the couple on their own reconsidered, turned around Art’s nosed and decked ’50 Ford with its roaring glasspaks, and returned to the island unmarried.) Ceil studied to be a medical secretary, a career she never pursued.
When she returned to the Island in ’59 she worked at Nassau Hospital in Mineola, as an accounting secretary. As soon as she bought a car, she began picking up Dave Schweers’ mother since she was a nurse at Nassau. Ceil had always kept close ties with Barbara Gilson who married Moon (Robert) Sawicki and who were good friends with Farrell Sheridan and his younger brother Forrest. Ceil married Forrest who worked for IBM. In 1971 after Ceil had taken accounting courses, she and Forrest started their own company, Den-Mark Business Machines, servicing and selling and leasing office machinery. They were also active in the national dealers’ association and traveled widely.
The business went well despite large responsibilities that Ceil had to cope with. The most pleasant of the burdens, of course, were daughter Denise born in ’66 and Mark born in ’69. (Thus the business name.) For a while Forrest was in bed with a bad back and Ceil found herself running both the family and the entire business. Nevertheless they also found time for visits to Berkeley Andrews, sailing with him in California and skiing with him when he lived in Colorado.
In the early 80s the spread of small computers disrupted their industry. Their business and their marriage went downhill at the same time and they dissolved both. Ceil went to work as a headhunter in an employment agency. When she noticed an interesting job with an insurance company, “I sold myself to a job opening they had.” The company sold commercial insurance across the country and Ceil began working in their accounting effort. She’s still there, now engaged in all areas of daily management. Ceil did most of her accounting training in the World Trade Center with AON. Most of her trainers perished in the 9/11 attack.
Ceil’s daughter Denise graduated from American University and volunteered to teach English in Costa Rica where Ceil visited her. After returning from Costa Rica Denise lived with Ceil for almost 10 years while she worked as a speech pathologist. Son Mark took a degree in economics and works as an investigator with Legal Aid in Port Jefferson. Ceil also stays in touch with Carole Neice who married Ceil’s younger brother Joe who died in October 2006.
Ceil hopes to retire soon after almost 20 years in the insurance business. On her way home from work she occasionally goes to the gym, and until recently she was a member of a ski club that took a lot of trips. She says, “I think I gave it up but I haven’t sold my skis.” That club led to trips with members who were also cyclists. On her hybrid bike she has taken 5 day trips with Elder Hostel in upstate NY and in Main’s Acadia National Park. She’s still driven by the same curiosity and energy as the little Snayd girl who used to bike to St. Boniface and all over Brookville.
