Phyllis “Melody” Sorrentino

Phyllis “Melody” Sorrentino1955-2014

• 212-962-2649
• mail@seitelman.com

Phyllis Marie “Melody” Sorrentino, one of our senior paralegals, passed away on March 4, 2014. She had just turned 59. She lived at the Ditmas Park Rehabilitation Home in Brooklyn for the last six years.

She preferred her nickname, “Melody.” She consigned her “legal” first name, Phyllis, to banking, taxes, etc. She adopted the name Melody because she loved to sing, and she sang in several church choirs.

Melody was one of our longest serving paralegals. She had started with us in the early 1990’s when we moved to our first office at the Woolworth Building.

Melody was a Runoyesque character and lifelong Brooklynite. She was the product of old-style parochial schools where many young girls did not go onto college, but were armed with skills to work in an office with strong writing skills, grammar, typing, and organization. She was in charge of drafting and preparing complaints, bills of particulars, other pleadings, and other litigation papers. She created many of the forms and formats that we use to this day. She was a pioneer of computing, and she was a master of DOS software. She mourned the overtaking of DOS systems by Windows systems although she quickly acclimated and embraced the new ways.

Melody was known for her many kindnesses, such as showering fellow employees with gifts at their baby showers.

Melody was a devout Catholic and often attended daily mass at St. Peter’s, around the corner from our office. She was devoted to her family, her brother, sister-in-law, nieces, and nephews. Her desk was covered with their photos.

Melody was an integral part of our office family, and she will be missed.