Cara Liander Gordon, 41, dies. Her impact on local theater, and on Staten Island, was extraordinary | Life Stories

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The marquee lights dimmed over Staten Island’s theater community when Cara Liander Gordon, a 41-year-old playwright and director with a vibrant personality and a remarkable zest for life, died unexpectedly on Nov. 4. At her funeral in St. Charles R.C. Church in Oakwood on Wednesday, her husband, John, promised mourners in a strong and steady voice that “her light will never be diminished.” “Her enthusiasm brightened every room she entered,” he eulogized. “Her greatest joy was to make others thrive. She was a beam of sunshine, a pure light that cast no shadow.” His words comforted…