Cousin Norman Levitz , with whom I spent many happy days at his family's hotel in Peekskill, recently suggested that we start sharing some memories before our generation ages out. The prior generation that was there at the beginning of the Colonial Terrace is now gone, but some of their own memories survive in writing. In the latter days of World War II, Mom recalled that she moved into the Colonial Terrace with her sister in-law Lil (Norman's, Sheilah's, Jackie's, and Roseanne's mother and Oscar's wife). Here is a snippet of the early days at the Colonial Terrace during World War II that Mom wrote when she was 102.

At the Colonial Terrace, which was now a hotel, two families came from Norway with infants. They told me they were in America to seek whale oil. These families arrived in grey clothing - very dismal. The first thing they did - leaving the babies at the hotel - they went shopping and bought colored clothing - because the Nazis were in Norway and no one could wear bright colors. The women came back in superbright house dresses and the men in white shirts.

You won't find black or grey in my wardrobe.

I don't know if her story is accurate, but it is worth retelling because of the spirit behind it. World War II seems like a long time ago, but as I post this in 2024, on Erev Rosh Hashanah, the battle between different world views goes on.

Little Sylvia Lipman turned 8 on July 26, 1924. On date of the last solar eclipse of her life - August 21, 2017 - she wrote about what it was like to experience a solar eclipse when she was 8 years old:

I am now 101 years of age, and I remember well the eclipse when I was 8 years of age. We had just moved from New Rochelle to Mt. Vernon, New York because of my mother's health. We were in a grocery store with two rooms in the back, so we could be together and get my mother back to normal health.

The newspapers were highlighting the coming eclipse, but one person insisted it was the end of the world and that memory persisted. We children were crying and worried this was our last day!

Someone handed out little strips of dark glass or plastic and we were told to cover our eyes and watch the eclipse. We waited and waited and sure enough the eclipse passed and we were still here!

Today is Mother's Day 2024, the first Mother's Day without my mother. My first memory of her is a perfect one. We were at Milk Maid on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains taking me to get a sundae. I remember tugging at the bottom of her light green chiffon dress. I remember her lifting me up to the condiments bar to add sprinkles (and maybe butterscotch) to our sundae. She was beautiful, and the day was perfect. Thank you Mom. I miss you but I can still treasure our many years together and replay them in my memory.

Ken

Sunday May 12, 2024

Me: Mom, what is the secret of life?

Mom: Make yourself be happy.

Today is July 26, 2023 and Mom would have been 107 today had she lived a few more months. Even on her 100th birthday, she did not want us to contact The Today Show or throw a big party, so we had a lowkey celebration.

I remember asking my paternal grandfather Max Liebman almost 50 years ago, when I was a teenager, what is the secret of life. He was old though far younger than 100, but the difference between our ages was greater than between Mom and me. My grandfather replied, “Hell if I know.” I respected him a lot so I figured he was right and knew right then I would never discover a better secret.

I asked Mom the exact same question on her 100th Birthday, figuring that a second century might impart some extra wisdom to her that Pop lacked. Sure enough, by emphasizing the “be,” she with one syllable emphasized the power of living in the present moment as an act of will. Her life was filled with tragedy and unfulfilled expectations, but she always made herself be happy.

Happy 107th!

Mom performed her final piano concert on her birthday when she turned 105. She clearly still had her best stuff. This clip was played at her funeral.

This formal photo of Mary and Benjamin Lipman when they were young was likely taken in a photo studio. As Jewish immigrants from “Russia” (either the vicinity of Kiev or Minsk according to different accounts), they were probably too poor to afford the clothes they wore in this photo. Joan Ashner, their granddaughter (through Belle), contributed this photo and suggested it must have been taken in a studio.

An undated drawing of the preceding photo of Mary and Benjamin by their daughter Sylvia.

This is the first Mother’s Day without you. If you have access to the Internet wherever you are Mom, here is a photo of Ed, Bob, you and me on an earlier Mother’s Day.

This photo was taken on April 10, 2023, her last good day. It was her grandnephew Mitchell’s 52d birthday and the photo was taken by his father Jack or mother Barbara Levitz, who unfailingly visited her as often as they could.

Cousin Carol Sue Lipman sent this photo of her dad David Lipman (right) and his sister Sade with Mom and her husband Charlie. Most of the Lipmans remained in Connecticut for a long while, but Mom’s dad Benjamin moved his family to New York after WWI.

As a side note, the toupee on Charlie’s head was probably made by his brother Ted exclusively for him.

This portrait of Alejandro (“Ale”) and his beloved “Baaa” from 2007 was sent in by his dad Jeff Meyers, a cousin who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and made the trek to Sharon Gardens in Kensico Cemetery to see Mom off.

Since Mom drew a quick sketch of pretty much everyone who she came in contact with, there are a lot more out there hidden away to collect.

Roseanne Elkins, Mom’s niece and Lil and Oscar Levitz’ daughter, sent this loving tribute a few hours after Mom passed away:

[My sister] Sheila and I spent many days talking about our Aunt Sylvia. For us, she was a role model. She taught us to appreciate each day and greet it with curiosity, a thirst for learning and an appreciation for the people in our lives. We agreed that she lived an extraordinary life. Aunt Sylvia’s compassion, love for life and authenticity were ingrained in every fiber of her being. She had music in her soul and her artwork still graces our walls. So many stories, a generational story of American-Jewish culture and a little politics now and then. (The only thing we could not agree on.) I think about the time she visited me in California and danced the night away at the Stardust Ballroom. I was the wallflower, she was the star. In every way, we were blessed by her presence and warmed by the memories. Thank you for sharing her with us. Our love and thoughts are with you.

Roseanne, Steve [Elkins], and Sheila.

Is that a walker or a swing?

Taken at the Grand Central Station Photo Booth in 1937

Maudie and Jeremy visit October 2022 just after announcing their engagement. Earlier that year, when Maudie was in Paris and Jeremy was visiting Mom, they Facetimed. Mom asked Jeremy right then and there to propose to Maudie. Mom also suggested a double wedding with her and her current boyfriend, the fellow who occupied Mom’s former apartment at Atria.

Mom did this undated drawing of her niece Joan Ashner (nee Yankow) and her husband Leon from a photograph of the two of them. Joan and Leon live in the East Village in Manhattan. As Ken can attest, Joan can walk the streets of Manhattan faster then most people can run.

At age 105, Mom’s dear aide Velma decided not was time for a new hairdo. It took at least 10 years off her age, so here she is looking no more than 95 and ready to rock and roll her walker.

In this family portrait from over 50 years ago, she is obviously is the middle, with Ken and Ed in the left of the photo and Charlie and Bob on the right.

She claimed to have many boyfriends in assisted living. This was apparently a December romance.

Mom continued to drive well into her 90s until she gave away her car. Her last driver’s license expired on her 100th birthday.

Sheila Drogy (nee Levitz) was Mom’s niece and the daughter she never had. In her 90s Mom spent summers with Sheila and her husband Alan at their house in Croton. When she moved to NY in 2018, she lived with Sheila and Alan until entering assisted living. Sheila was truly Mom’s caretaker for almost all of the last several years, visiting her nearly every day and calling Ken for the daily laugh over something Mom had said or done. Sadly, Sheila passed away in early 2022. This photo was taken in 2018 on the morning that Mom arrived from an overnight drive from Florida. Both of them had inexhaustible energy. Now they are laughing together again.

The Boca Raton Art Club gave Mom a lifetime achievement award and event. Here she is displaying a dual portrait of her parents Benjamin and Mary Lipman. It was a wonderful retrospective with over 50 years of paintings displayed in the auditorium at Century Village. In a classic display of what it is like to live at a giant elder community, the reception ended when a man in a back row shouted, “When’s lunch?”

A photo from Mom’s surprise party on July 26, 2022. Left to right are Ken, Bob, Mom, Sheila, Alan, Joan and Mary Lou.

The Colonial Terrace in Peekskill NY was a hotel and later a catering event center that resembled the White House. Virtually all family events -bar mitzvahs, weddings, Passover, etc. - were held there. The Colonial Terrace was owned by Oscar (standing prominently in the center) and Lil Levitz (lower left). Lil’s brothers Charlie (Mom’s husband) and Ted (with his wife Muriel beside him) are standing behind Lil. Mom is in the center.

Just a sweet photo of Mom and her daughter-in-law Cathy in Florida.

Joan Ashner is Mom’s niece and her mom Belle was Mom’s younger sister. Joan visited too many times to count when Mom was at the Atria in Briarcliff taking the train up from Manhattan. This photo was taken on July 26, 2022.

Mom survived both the 1917-18 flu pandemic and Covid. Here she is during Covid with Jack and Barbara Levitz violating the masking policy.

Joan Ashner, who worked at the USO at Penn Station in Manhattan, visited Mom at her assisted living facility in Briarcliff nearly every week until Covid hit in March 2020. Mom often confided in her niece Joan and they has many talks over the years.