Tag Archives: New Jersey

IN MEMORY OF A SPECIAL FRIEND…

Last week I received a very sad message from Joanne Cusumano, the daughter of Phyllis Cusumano. Phyllis, who was known and loved far and wide, had finally succumbed to brain cancer. 

Phyllis was my friend and, even though we had never met in person, we were frequently in contact by phone and email. Phyllis vowed that some day we would meet in person but that day never happened, which makes me very sad. 

Phyllis was a beloved Mah Jongg teacher living in Naples, Florida. I would often receive messages from people in and around the Naples area, inquiring about Mah Jongg lessons. I always responded to their inquiries with a message letting them know that they were in luck as the best teacher in their area was Phyllis Cusumano and they should contact her immediately. Phyllis always called or wrote with a thank you and, more telling, I would usually receive a message from the students thanking me for introducing them to Phyllis and letting me know what an amazing teacher she was. 

This world has lost a very special woman. I send my condolences to Joanne, her daughter, who now has Buddy, Phylis’s beloved dog. 

There will be a mass for Phyllis on Monday, August 14 at 11am at Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and there will also be a service for her on November 13 at 10am at St. Williams Church in Naples.

Rest in peace, Phyllis, and hopefully there will be many Mah Jongg games for you up in heaven.

MAH JONGG DOCTORS!

Yesterday I received a message from a Mah Jongg player who was kind enough to introduce me to her blog, The Mah Jongg Doctors.

The Mah Jongg Doctors are two avid Mah Jongg players – Susan and Barbara – who live in Westchester County.

Susan wrote:

“We love the game and try to find ways to spread the love of Mah Jongg to others.
We play in tournaments as often as we can and are willing to travel for Mah Jongg.
We took a transatlantic cruise this spring to Spain that included a Mah Jongg tournament!

We write about game strategies, answer questions asked, and tell anecdotes about the game.”

Their most recent posting is about all of the beautiful and varied sets they saw at a tournament in NJ. You can see many of these sets on their blog: http://www.mahjonggdrs.blogspot.com.  

Susan said – and I agree! – “So much fun to see the variety of sets that come to a tournament. And…fun to play with them as well.”

Check out this great blog written by Susan and Barbara and enjoy it as much as I am enjoying it… as well as this picture from their blog – this set is calling my name!!!

7set