Esther Kadison Albert was my mom Edith Kadision Schneider's first cousin.
I found out via the Temple Israel email that Esther passed away on Tuesday, August 15, 2017.
This photo below shows the first time I got together with Esther in August of 2013 which was about two and a half years after my mom passed away in January of 2011. She told me so many stories about my mother and my mom's family.
(After my mom's funeral in February, 2011, at the meal, she came up to me and said, "You better get to know me since I won't be around many more years and you won't be able to ask me about your mother." That motivated me to connect with Esther! Over time, I cherished our get-togethers with her and her companion Jay.)
I am so, so very sad. Her funeral is scheduled for Friday, 8/18/17.
Post funeral update:
My dad, Arthur Schneider, and my son, Joel Farris, and I attended Esther's funeral on Friday, August 18, 2017. It was very moving. Her family members came forward and shared wonderful memories and stories about Esther. When Rabbi Moskowitz announced that the family invited anyone else present to share memories, I decided I needed to come up and share my own memories of Esther.
I told everyone that my mom, Edith Kadison Schneider, were first cousins. I told about how my mom's family traveled to southern California during the depression and moved in with Esther's family. Esther's father, Morris Kadison, was my grandfather Joseph Kadison's brother.
Esther told me that my mom and her became really good friends like sisters and shared a bed and played with dolls together. My mom was only a year older than Esther. Grandpa Joseph worked in the grocery store that Esther's father owned.
I also told about how Esther came up to me at my mom's celebraton of life meal and said, "If you want to learn more about your mother and our famly that you better get to know me."
That comment inspired me to contact Esther and I'll never forget Esther asking me if it was okay to bring a friend to lunch when we got together the first time at the Small Cafe in Belmont Shore. That "friend" turned out to be her wonderful companion of 17 years J. Leff!
My dad and I had several more lunches together with J. and Esther and also I dropped by Esther's home one day and met her daughter Carol and Carol and Esther got a chance to meet my husband Dan and daughter Annabelle. I gave them a signed copy of my book and I saw Esther's beautiful home.
On the day of the funeral, the meal that followed was at Esther's house. I am so glad I got to meet all of Esther's wonderful family including her son Mitch and her daughter in law Evelyn and her grandsons Jeff and David and Jeff's wife Shannon and great grandchildren Chloe and Scarlett and Carol's daughter Jennifer and Esther's granddaughter Erin and great-granddaughter Audrey. I also got to meet J.'s daughter Karen and even my dad's first cousin Mark Schneider and his wife Nancy were there since Karen and Nancy are best friends.
There were also so many people I knew from Temple Israel present since both Esther was a member. One wonderful memory I will never forget was when Esther came to Got Shabbat one Friday because it was her daughter Nancy's yahrzeit, that I got to sit right next to Esther. How very special was that?
I am very glad that Esther encouraged me to get to know her and I cherish the time I had with her. I am glad now to be connected with her family. Hugs to them.
