Obituary of Edwina G. Yank

Edwina G. Yank Obituary

Edwina G. Yank of Huntington died peacefully in her sleep on December 21, 2024. 

Edwina was born on July 6,1932 in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, the daughter of Dorothy and Edward Gould.  Her father died before she was born.  She was raised by her grandmother Sarah Mae Fürst.  Edwina’s mother Dorothy married James Burke in 1937.  They had a daughter, Catherine (Burke) Novack, who was also born on July 6. 

Edwina graduated from St. Monica’s Elementary School, St. Jean’s High School and Marymount Manhattan College (MMC).  She received the MMC Crest, “awarded to the senior who has best demonstrated the spirit and embodiment of the educational mission of MMC: academic excellence and leadership within a strong liberal arts program”.

On December 26, 1953, Edwina married Stephen E. Yank, also of Yorkville, the son of Steve and Catherine Yank.  Edwina enjoyed being included in Steve’s large extended family of first- and second-generation Hungarian-Americans.  She was especially close to Steve’s mother Catherine and his sister Mary.

After graduating from Marymount, Edwina taught at elementary schools in New York City and Chicago for several years.  She left teaching to become a full-time mom to Stephen James (1957), Brian Edward (1959) and Richard John (1964).  She volunteered at their elementary schools and at Huntington Hospital, and eventually returned to work outside the home as a counselor at the Diet Center of Huntington.  She also served as a Trustee for her alma mater, Marymount Manhattan College, for many years.

Edwina and Steve were known for their dancing prowess – they really enjoyed it.  They loved Broadway musicals.   They travelled to Europe and Asia.  Steve died in 1992, after 38 years of marriage.  Since then, Edwina continued to enjoy Broadway plays, movies (she was a regular at the Cinema Arts Center for years), swimming, reading, and listening to music – especially Barbara Streisand.  Edwina and Steve passed down their love of music to their three sons.

In 1993, mutual friends introduced Edwina to a recent widower, Ernest “Tasi” Petkanas of Glen Cove.  Edwina and Tasi became loving partners and lived a wonderful life together for almost 25 years.  Edwina was welcomed into Tasi’s family, and Tasi into Edwina’s family.  The two of them traveled the world and had a truly enjoyable life together. 

Tasi passed away in 2017, and Edwina dealt with numerous health challenges since that time.  She was bedbound the last few years of her life, and was on and off at-home hospice twice during that period.  Thanks to Tashna and other aides, she had a good quality of life given those circumstances.  She was grateful and appreciative for family visits as well as the excellent care of her aides.  She shared her love with all.

Living to 92, Edwina outlived almost all of her friends.  The one exception is Betty Walsh, her best friend since first grade at St. Monica’s Elementary School.  Betty lived on Long Island with her daughter and son-in-law for many years. That gave Betty and Edwina a chance to see each other frequently until Betty’s family moved to North Carolina a few years ago.

Edwina is survived by her sister Catherine Novack of Tampa, Florida; Stephen Yank (Agnieszka) of Silver Spring, Maryland and their children Jacob and Magdalena; Brian Yank (An) of Lawrenceville, New Jersey and their daughters Jacqueline and Cynthia; and Richard Yank (Lisa) of Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania and their son Louis Yank (fiancée Katelyn Bischoff) of Marysville, Ohio.  She is also survived by Tasi’s son George Petkanas (Debra) of Glen Cove and their sons Christopher and Thomas Petkanas.

In lieu of flowers, you are invited to make a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (bcrf.org) or another breast cancer charitable organization.