Mariam L. Palahnuk

Mariam “Micki” Palahnuk, who turned 80 years on November 16, 2020 was called to her heavenly home early morning on March 1, 2021.

Micki was born on November 16th, 1940 in Staten Island, New York. After graduating from West Hempstead High School, she began working as a medical secretary. She then met her surviving husband George Palahnuk in 1960 while babysitting her first nephew, Chris Hawkins. George and Micki married on May 30th, 1961; and went on to have four children. Micki was always passionate about her children and her entire extended family. Throughout her life, while raising her family, she owned and operated a small holistic health food store called Shalom and worked as a chiropractor’s assistant.

Micki loved sharing her knowledge of good health with her family and friends. She was a fabulous cook and always made sure everyone “took their vitamins”. She took on the administrative duties for the annual family picnic, publishing the address book for NelsonHawkins-Cirone-clan. You could always call her to get the full name and birthday of any relative; she knew it immediately.

Micki, my mom, was great at Christmas and Birthdays. She was the one card you always knew you would receive. Her passion for finding the best gifts and the finest food is imparted on her children and grandchildren.

Serving and loving others was the heartbeat of Micki, my grandma. She never put herself first. We would be calling her from the dining room to come eat with us after she prepared the most delicious meals. On sick days she cared for us and gave us the deluxe grandma treatment, so much so that we would pretend to be sick from school just to be with her. She could only see the good in us and encouraged all the giftings she saw in us that she stoked. There were some many stories that she had locked away in her heart that she longed to share. She created a beautiful family tree and diary of her family’s lineage and was the pioneer of our family reunions to make sure we put family first. Her small, smooth Italian hands that fed our bodies held our family together in the gentlest, quietest way.

“My Grandma was the best person to talk with; she always listened with an open-heart and open-mind; the nicest person I ever knew and for that I will always miss and her.”

Micki is survived by her husband, George and her children and their families; Andrew and Kathy Palahnuk and their three adult children, Amanda, Brandy, Melissa and their 5  beautiful granddaughters, Nancy-Beth and Mark Newmister and their two adult children, Sheldon and Rachael, Stacia and Blake Pagenkopf and their three adult children Maleigh, Jack and Louis, and Jonathan and Kim Palahnuk and their two adult children, Ian and Jared.   Her sister, Ruth Hawkins lives an active life on Long Island, New York with her beautiful extended family. Her beloved brother James Nelson passed away in January 2015 and is survived by dozens of amazing children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

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