Deanna J (Young) Prisco

Deanna Prisco, Beloved Teacher, Avid Land Preservation Advocate and Active Community Member, dies at 78
Deanna J. Prisco, died peacefully on May 4, 2019 [following a brief illness].  The daughter of Walter and Mary (nee Shafer) Young, Deanna was born and raised in Fort Montgomery, NY.  She graduated from Highland Falls High School in 1958 and held a Masters degree from SUNY New Paltz.  She is predeceased by her sisters Betty Sevik and Eileen Reynolds, and has one brother Walter (Sandy) Young now living in the state of Washington.  She leaves behind her sons and daughters-in-law Kevin and Cheryl Conero of Montgomery, NY and David and Judith Conero of Shawangunk, NY.  She also leaves behind her five beloved grandchildren, Steven and wife, Kayla, Nikki,  Allison, Andrew and Eric Conero, and her two beloved great-grandchildren, Aubree and Steven Patrick Conero.
Deanna’s priority was always her family, but she was also a teacher, a humble servant to her congregation and to those in need, a prodigious gardener and a strong and intelligent advocate for the land.  “Mrs. Prisco” was a beloved 4th grade teacher in the Highland Falls School District for 30 years who left a lasting impression on an entire generation of local schoolchildren.  As a fierce advocate for environmental preservation, Deanna spent a longtime supporting and leading the efforts of the Orange County Land Trust (OCLT).  Deanna served as President of OCLT from 2008-2010. As OCLT’s past president, Deanna helped steer the organization through some of its most challenging times, and served on the organization’s land protection, stewardship, finance and personnel committees.  Her many decades of service are with us today and for many generations to come in the more than 6,000 acres of open land and farmland that have been preserved during her tenure.  For more than 30 years, Deanna was also an active member of the Otisville Presbyterian Church, where she served among the Elders and Deacons, and also as a caregiver for the Stevens Ministry.  Her love for gardening was expressed in her long-time membership of the Otisville Country Garden Club and in her own beautiful gardens, and she enjoyed spending quiet time in nature at her camp in Sidney Center, NY.  Deanna’s legacy goes beyond those of us who loved and worked with her.  Visitors to Orange County and future generations will see her hand in the protected farmlands that stretch to the horizon, in the unpolluted forested hillsides and flower-strewn rolling meadows that she fought so hard to preserve from development and misuse.  She will be missed by all in the many communities she touched.
A memorial service will be held on June 2, 2019 at 2:00 pm at the Otisville- Mt Hope Presbyterian Church, 25 Main Street, Otisville, NY
Deanna and her family have asked that, in lieu of flowers, contributions should be made on her behalf to the Orange County Land Trust, 50 Ogden Dr, New Windsor, NY 12553  or the Otisville Presbyterian Church PO Box 628, Otisville, NY 10963.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Deanna J (Young) Prisco, please visit our Tree Store.