Louise Martone Peluso rested in peace last Friday afternoon, her visitation being held at a Glen Cove funeral home for the high-energy enthusiast of baseball, opera and day lilies who passed away at age 98.
To the right of her casket hung a pinstriped Mets home jersey — 1963-style — with the name “AUNT LOUISE” and the number 33.
That’s Ron Hunt’s number, and this was a present from the beloved Met himself. The jersey’s presence at this sacred moment spoke to the special, unlikely bond that formed between the proper Long Island woman and the boisterous, irreverent Missouri ballplayer.