Obituary of Sarina Mineo Myers

Sarina Mineo Myers, 82

Sarina Mineo Myers passed away in her Duxbury home surrounded by loved ones on Saturday, December 7th, 2024.

Sarina was born in the Bronx, NY in 1941. As a child, she was active in theater, including a role in a Broadway production of South Pacific and summer stock at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut. She shared her love of the stage with her brother and best friend, film actor Sal Mineo.

She told captivating stories about life with her brother Sal in the 1950s as his popularity as an actor grew. She enjoyed helping him select audition pieces, and later, accompanying him to events. The memories of these times were some of her fondest. After she survived a severe bout of bulbar poliomyelitis in 1951, she and Sal joined the widely successful public health organization Teens Against Polio, working together to help encourage teenagers to get the vaccine when it became available in 1955.

Sarina graduated from Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, NY in 1960, and she earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport in 1964. She worked as a 3rd grade teacher and a reading specialist for ten years in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, most recently at the former Grace Ryder School in Marshfield, MA.

Sarina married the late Dr. Charles “Chip” Myers, an economist and international public health consultant, in 1970, and they settled in Duxbury in 1973. In 1977, they welcomed a daughter, Samantha, and Sarina became an inventive, energetic stay-at-home parent while her husband traveled abroad for work. She taught Samantha a love of reading and writing from a young age and also taught her, both directly and indirectly, about the power of kindness, gentleness, and acceptance. She encouraged Samantha in her love of the arts, especially creative writing and singing.

Chip, Sarina, and Samantha traveled extensively together, including an almost year-long stay in Bangkok, Thailand in 1985-1986. Sarina always longed for her “hometown” of New York City, and she and Samantha made many trips there to visit their favorite theaters, bakeries, and bookshops. At home in Duxbury, Sarina loved checking out local restaurants and stores, watching old movies, trying family recipes from her mother’s recipe book, going on adventures with her grandkids, and spending time with her group of friends.

Sarina was predeceased by her parents, Josephine and Salvatore Mineo, her brother Victor Mineo and his wife Ann Mineo, her brother Michael Mineo, her brother Sal Mineo, and her husband of 52 years, Chip Myers. She leaves her daughter Samantha Myers and partner Brad Albright, her two grandsons, her niece Josephine Mineo and wife Heather Haase, her niece Victoria Cory and husband Frank Cory, her sister-in-law Tamson Ely and husband Laurence Ely, and many other beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Sarina’s warm, open heart drew people to her and left a lasting effect on those who knew her. Even during the difficult days of her illness, she didn’t let anything stand in the way of expressing her love, and she will be profoundly missed. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Sarina’s name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org or the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders at swallowingdisorderfoundation.com.