Sheila Aigner Resino, 88, passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones in the early hours of May 13, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born Sheila Anne Mack in Passaic, New Jersey, on February 15, 1936, to Irving Mack and Rose Stainman.

Irving and Rose raised Sheila and her sister, Marcia (four years her younger), in Passaic; Queens; and on Staten Island—Sheila was not fond of living in Staten Island and made sure to mention that, every time this part of her life came up in conversation. She eventually moved to a Jewish women’s boarding house (mother-approved) in Manhattan to attend the City College of New York, where she studied Russian literature and worked part-time in the stacks at the 42nd Street New York Public Library. Her mother died her sophomore year in college, and this put a pause on Sheila’s studies…she took advantage of the break to go to California (by Greyhound, so she could, in her words, “see the world”), where, joined by her sister Marcia a few weeks later, she had the time of her life and fell in love. She also bragged that she’d hung out with a not-yet-famous Louis Gossett Jr. 

In the fall, Sheila headed back to New York to continue her studies, and swiftly forgot about that California boy when she met John Aigner, whom she married in 1958. Shortly thereafter, the couple launched the first of many of John’s brazen ideas: A coffee shop in Provincetown, Massachusetts. They had no experience, and made virtually no profit. Sheila reported that “the locals didn’t like us.” Fortunately, the locals did not include the starving artists who paid for their coffee in spaghetti and gorgeous works of art; though the cafe would only last one season, those works would adorn their homes for many years to come. Settling down in Virginia, John and Sheila welcomed children Lisa and Robin in the mid-sixties. 

One of Sheila’s early work memories was of talking her way into an advertising job at Hamburgers, a beloved Baltimore department store. She enjoyed the work, but would leave that job to have children and would later become a public school teacher during the years when her children were young.

After just a few years in Virginia, the couple moved back to New York and launched a local newspaper, The Mount Vernon Forum. They were also enlisted to work on two other newspapers, The Catholic News and The Irish Echo. You could say they were the leading local newspaper publishers within a few square miles. They called their company Typegraphic. 

That love of words would be a thread through Sheila’s life, and daughter Robin attests that she was “raised on crosswords.” Sheila had what Lisa calls an “encyclopedic brain.” Sheila was also a skilled artist and seamstress and made her own funky clothing and clothing for the girls. Admittedly, though, she was no great shakes in the kitchen—despite that, she managed to put food on the table while holding down full-time work and raising her daughters. 

For many years she worked as a marketing manager for a vitamin company—and her clothing closet, her car, the home always smelled like vitamins. The kids rarely got sick—family lore is that was owing to the fact that Sheila stocked the home with a vitamin C that tasted like candy.

In the 1980s, she met Dennis Resino and the couple would enjoy 33 years of marriage until his death in 2015. Dennis was just the right person to soften Sheila’s pragmatic nature and, among other things, they renovated a house in Tarrytown together and built a vacation home in the Poconos with their good friend Judy. Even though Sheila was a self-proclaimed non-baker, she took on the Resino family tradition making pizzelles for the holidays. You could tell it was pizzelle season by the trail of powdered sugar on the front of Sheila’s sweatshirt. 

Sheila loved being a grandparent, and was adored by her 3 grandchildren, Michelle, Jake, and Kyle—and their partners. Her first great-grandchild will be born in June.

Sheila always loved to travel, and in her 80s went with her family on several big trips. The first was with Robin to Cuba, where, defying sanctions, they assumed identities as writers on assignment; Sheila’s “assignment” was “Cuba for seniors.” She got wine-drunk at a vineyard in Tuscany with Lisa, Jack, Kyle and Michelle; amazingly, she walked 60 miles that week touring Italy. She also enjoyed an adventure in New Orleans, with Robin dragging her around to jazz clubs on Frenchman Street. Her last big trip was to Spain with Lisa and Michelle. Her home is adorned with art from every place she visited.

She was very proud of the fact that she never had a major illness. She would brag about not having any scars. She could not fathom how and why cancer came her way. And neither could anyone else. Despite that, she never lost her sense of humor, and even in her last days managed to pop out some sassy gems. One of her final requests was “I want to go in peace, not in pieces.” And she did.

Sheila leaves behind two children, Lisa (Jack) and Robin (Michael); grandchildren, Michelle (Scott), Jake, Kyle (Catarina); nephew Richard (Allison), and a great-nephew. She was predeceased by her husband, Dennis, and her sister, Marcia.

 

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sheila's name to one of these charities:

                               Gilda's Club of Westchester https://cancersupportcommunitynyct.org/ 

                                            or Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/