Margaret D. Cossentino's Obituary
Margaret Denning Cossentino of Fort Myers, Florida passed away peacefully with her loving family be her side at Gulf Coast Medical Center on Saturday, September 14, 2019 following some recent health challenges. She was 79 years old.Margaret was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 1, 1940, the beautiful daughter to Dorothy (Clark) and Thomas Denning. She attended Holy Cross in Flatbush and Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, LI. Received her RN from Kings County Hospital in early 1960s and then worked as OR + Recovery Room nurse after graduation. In October, 1962 she married Dr John J Cossentino at St Jerome’s in Flatbush and the moved to Malverne and Rockville Centre and the eastern end of Long Island where she and John raised their children. Margaret later went back to school at Molloy College where she received her BSN thereafter working as a labor+delivery nurse at Mercy Hospital. She was also a parishioner, Eucharistic minister and was involved with the Marriage Encounter program at St Agnes Cathedral.Midge fulfilled her dream of living right on the beach when she moved to Montauk and often told people it was her favorite place on Earth.She lived in Southampton village after that, and worked again in labor & delivery and prenatal intensive care unit nurse. At the same time, she worked to obtain both her Master in Social Work and her psychiatric nurse practitioner license, and counseled many clients. Midge and John retired to Ft Myers fourteen years ago, where she volunteered at her parish of St John XXIII. She also traveled extensively with family and friends, including to the town in Ireland where her family was originally from. She was at her happiest when on a relaxing cruise with her husband, or surrounded by the people she loved most at one of the many parties she hosted for family and friends. She will be remembered often and warmly as a kind, loving and supportive mother and wife, thrilled grandmother, and a generous friend.Margaret leaves to cherish her loving memory her beloved husband John J. Cossentino, M.D.; her treasured children Lia, Clare, Joseph, John, Mark, Matthew, Susan, Stephen, and Diane; her adored grandchildren Ari, Gibson, Mackenzie, Cameron, Chloe, Amelia, John, Mia, Sophia, Giovanni, Ethan, Emma, and John. She also leaves behind her loving sisters Ann Basso and Hope Menken along with a large number of extended family members and a multitude of others she met along life’s pathway who were proud to call her a friend. Sadly, she was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Paul Raimo.A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial for Margaret will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at Saint John XXIII Catholic Church, 13060 Palomino Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33912, (239) 561-2245. Margaret was a woman who believed deeply in the power of prayer, the importance of kind words and the beauty of flowers. In this spirit, all those who mourn Margaret’s passing are encouraged to join the family at church for her final prayers and are respectfully requested to send any cards of sympathy, and especially flowers, to her service as this is undoubtedly the way she would want to be remembered. She believed in the power of Angels, and spoke often of the joy and healing they could bring to all of us here on earth. Her family finds comfort in the fact that she now counts herself among them.To share a story or photo, leave a tribute or to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time, please visit Margaret’s memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign her guestbook.
What’s your fondest memory of Margaret?
What’s a lesson you learned from Margaret?
Share a story where Margaret's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Margaret you’ll never forget.
How did Margaret make you smile?