Obituary of Myra Rose LaSister

Myra Rose Pankey LaSister, 86, of Hempstead, New York passed away on March 16, 2018 at the Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Myra was born on June 12, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York to Eloise Schenck Pankey and Leon Lacey Pankey, Sr. She was the youngest of six children: Gladys ("Chickie"), Leon Edward ("Sonny"), Elaine ("Eel"), Gerald Arlington ("Barney"), Vivian ("Mommie"), and Myra ("Mighty"). Four siblings have predeceased her. Myra received an Associate Degree from Brooklyn College and worked as a nurse during her twenties in New York City. She married Charles Knox LaSister, Jr., a Julliard graduate and entrepreneur from Harlem, New York, whose family hailed from Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1948. They had three sons: Charles Knox LaSister, III, Coy Maurice LaSister and Kim Dereck LaSister. Together they raised their three sons first in Harlem, then in Raleigh, then in Ozone Park, Queens and later settling in Hempstead, New York. Widowed in the late 1980's, Myra worked as a Real Estate Broker for over 20 years and later as the Director of Homeownership for the Administration of the County of Nassau, New York State. The real estate work ignited her passion for Interior Design and re-awakened her early childhood love for art. The canvass for her oil paintings ranged from wood, table tops, furniture, fabric and even over existing paintings. Myra's fluid painting style was consistently whimsical, depicting day to day encounters with an insightful focus on her subject's eyes. Beginning with her first exhibition in 1986 in midtown Manhattan, she became highly sought after in New York Art Circles. Her paintings have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in New York City, St. Petersburg, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition, her work is found in private and corporate collections in New York City and New Orleans. Her final exhibition was featured during Black History Month at Bloom Assisted Living in St. Petersburg. Myra LaSister is survived by her sister, Vivian Harris; two sons, Charles Knox LaSister, III and Coy Maurice LaSister; her granddaughter, Tiffany Nicole LaSister; great-grandchildren, Kya, Cheyenne, and Ryan, and a host of family and friends. Myra is predeceased by four siblings and her son, Kim Dereck. Memorial Service for Myra LaSister will be held on Thursday, March 29, at 2:00 p.m. at Anderson McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King Street North in St. Petersburg, Florida. The family invites you to visit their personalized online guestbook at www.AndersonMcQueen.com