Ethel Plimack just before turning 104 in 2014. (Photo: Queens Post)
Oct. 16, 2019. By Shane O’Brien
The corner of 46th Street and Skillman Avenue is going to be co-named this Saturday in honor of Ethel Plimack, a Sunnyside resident who lived on that block and died last year at the age of 107.
The intersection will be co-named ‘Ethel Plimack Way’ in a ceremony organized by Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer at 1 p.m.
Plimack died last November, just a few weeks short of her 108th birthday. She was Sunnyside’s oldest resident at the time of her passing.
She is survived by her three children and multiple grandchildren. Her husband, an optical supply wholesaler, died 40 years ago.
Plimack’s birthday became a popular annual event in Sunnyside. Residents would show up outside her house on 46th Street on Thanksgiving Day and sing Happy Birthday to her. More than 100 people attended the 20-minute event each year for five years.
The event was organized by Plimack’s neighbor Patricia Dorfman.
Van Bramer said in a statement that Plimack was a revered member of the Sunnyside community.
“Ethel Plimack was a beloved community activist and Sunnyside’s favorite centenarian,”Van Bramer said.
“Throughout her 107 years of life, Ethel made a profound impact on our community. I am proud to co-name Skillman Avenue and 46th Street to honor Ethel’s lifelong commitment to public service.”
Plimack, who grew up in the Bronx, moved to Sunnyside in 1941 and was an active member of the community until her death.
Ethel’s 105th birthday in 2015 (Photo Queens Post)
She worked as an administrative assistant in Marymount Manhattan College until she was 94 and swam regularly at the Equinox until she was 100.
She remained active and alert after she turned 100. She enjoyed knitting regularly and would donate her knitwear to local charities and fundraisers.
She had a strong connection to the neighborhood and was an outspoken supporter for the landmarking of Sunnyside Gardens in the early 2000s. She went before the NYC Landmark Preservation Commission in Manhattan to testify in support of landmarking the Gardens at the time.
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5 Comments
If you know any Hispanics that have lived in Sunnyside since 1941, please let us know.
She looks like a spitfire.
My grandma is older
That’s bs! Why does she get a street named after her because she lived to 107? Imagine when Jimmy Van Bramer dies! They will rename Queens Blvd. after him. Roosevelt Ave. will become Pat Dorfman Avenue. How about naming at least an alley way after an Hispanic?
That’s cute.
Once we name places after these nice people, we should honor them by keeping the places clean like the parks we named after war heroes, when they are occupied by drunks and junkies.