Long Islanders gathered Thursday to remember a beloved superintendent who unexpectedly died.

Wake services were held for Dr. Teresa Prendergast at Flinch & Bruns Funeral Home in Lynbrook.

She had held the position for eight years and was set to become the principal of Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead next month.

Nassau BOCES Deputy Superintendent James Widmer says everyone had the utmost respect for Prendergast and that she was excited for her new role.

"You have to really be a good listener, and that's what she was," Widmer says. "I always felt like she was a great resource for me as I was moving up and learning. It's not an easy job, you get a lot of different opinions from different perspectives, but she was always very open and easy to deal with."

Prendergast's funeral Mass will take place Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Malverne.

The arrangements come one day after the district announced Kenneth Bossert will become the new superintendent. Bossert has been the superintendent of the Elwood School District.

Bossert says he wishes he had the proper chance to make the transition with Prendergast.