Afke Tigchelaar Troiso of Riverhead, formerly of Hampton Bays, died on May 7 after a short battle with cancer. She was 87.
Born in the town of Parrega in the Netherlands province of Friesland to parents Klaas and Hesseltja Tigchelaar, she immigrated to the United States in 1956 with her parents and four sisters. They settled in Belvidere, New Jersey, and operated a nearby dairy farm.
She met and married her first husband, Richard E. Florimont, in 1959 and relocated to Hampton Bays that same year to start their family. She was a homemaker, and highly skilled at needle arts and tailoring from her education in the Netherlands. She made clothes to order for many years, often creating her own sewing patterns. Many of her needlecraft art still hangs in the homes of family and friends.
She volunteered for nearly 20 years at the Hampton Bays United Methodist Church Thrift Shop and enjoyed the friends she made there.
She met her second husband, Adolph (Al) Troiso in 1976, and they married in 1985. They enjoyed traveling and hosting many social gatherings at their home. She had an uncanny ability to recreate favorite restaurant dishes, to the delight of her guests. In 2003, the couple moved to Riverhead.
She was predeceased by her parents; sister Trintja Smith; and her husband Al Troiso. She is survived by her three sisters, Jetske (George), Froukje, and Riemkje; her three children, Jeffrey Florimont (Lori), Edmund Florimont (Jane), and Kathleen Kennedy (Brian); her grandchildren, Jeffrey Florimont (Katie), Victoria Florimont (Joshua), Annika Kennedy, Marissa “Moe” Kennedy; her great-grandchildren, Mason and Emory; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 6, from 4-8 p.m. at Scott-Rothwell Funeral Home in Hampton Bays. Internment will follow at Calverton National Cemetery on Friday, June 7. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to the Peconic Land Trust (peconiclandtrust.org) or Hampton Bays Beautification Association (hbba.net).
Staff Writer on May 24, 2024