Love, Joy S

Dated 5/11/11

Eva – I will miss your straight forward sound advice! Your strength and self confidence!

Joy & Mommy at Dina & David's wedding
August 1998

To remember our times we spent together with Suzie and Shoshanna going out, laughing till we cried.

Beng together, preparing for Pesach in Fla. We would shop for food, you, me, and Suzie. The food would be stuffed from the dashboard to the trunk. We laughed so hard, even though we had to go to so many different stores to shop for food.

Going together tosee "Menapause" was a real experience. We laughed till we cried.

You are missed terribly. You should be a Malitz Yashar for all of us.

You friends,
Joy & Reuvain

Love, Sandy K

Felicia, Sandy & Alan Kastner
in front of Bungalow 34, Clearview

Words cannot express my feelings about Eva.

Eva was more than just a good friend. Eva embraced me as a sister, a sister that she never had.

She was the sister that you we're able to talk to and she listened during my most emotional moments.

She guided and helped me through a series of weddings, and she listened as I talked without judging or criticizing my discussion.

Eva was a passionate woman who always thought about her family first -- even her best friends, were treated like family.

We used to sit in the kitchen over a cup of tea talking about how our day went. She should talk about her 4th grade class and I about my kindergarten class, giving each other advice.

Eva will be greatly missed by me and my family. I lost a best friend.

Love,
Sandy Kastner

Love, Sheila F.

The Ladies in Las Vegas

My children Tani and Suzane B"H had a baby boy and the Bris was yesterday. I can't tell you how much I missed having your mother there. She was always present at our Smachot with her face always aglow with happiness to join us at one of our Feit/Baitner affairs. Of course, she was always busy taking pictures and we all knew that we would have a beautiful picture album presented to us the next day. I tries to walk a around and take some pictures, but I couldn't. 

I truly missed her. She is forever in our thoughts and in our hearts. She was a devoted friend and so proud of her children and grandchildren. As we approach her Yahrzeit, we pray that she will be a Guter Bayter- A Melits Yasher for her family, friends and Klal Yisrael. 

Love, Sheila

Love, Devorah K.

Naomi is a part of my life. She ate many dinners with Eva and her family. She washed many a dish, babysat Yitchaki and indeed became a part of the family. Sixteen is never an easy age….so many variables. Sixteen was made easier by Eva and her smile, her cooking and her dedicated love and affection. I met Dena in the summer of 1990. We smashed a bug in Clearview, a nasty bug, and became fast friends.

Devorah "Naomi", Yitzi, Tamara and me (Dena),
May 1993

I spent much of the summer with Dena, Bubby and Eva. Eva was 9 ½ months pregnant with Yitzi…we tried to steer clear of anything that may upset a pregnant woman. We tried not to wear clothes that needed to be ironed, no one likes ironing in the hot summer…especially a pregnant woman. We always cleaned up after ourselves and we most certainly never contradicted what Eva said or did. Never.

So early in the winter of 1991, after Yitzi was born and I became the newest family member, spending many a Shabbos with Dena and the gang…being teenagers, a funny thing happened. Eva asked Naomi how her parents were. I sheepishly began to answer and Ruchie, I believe, asked Eva why she called me Naomi. Now, for the last umpteen months Eva had called me Naomi, ALL THE TIME. Remember, we do not correct pregnant women. She thought my name was Naomi and I was not one to correct…so Naomi it was. Belly laughs ensued; I believe we even shed some tears during our laughter. She hugged me and kissed me a told me I was a good girl.

Devorah and Yitzi swimming in Clearview
Summer 1993

Almost 20 years later, occasionally, and just for fun Eva would call me Naomi.

I loved her. I miss her and I know that on some of my hardest days she is watching over me.

Devorah Katz

Love, Susan S

A Letter To My Friend,

Natalie Baitner, Mommy & Susan Samet
at Dina & David's Wedding, August 1998 

Dear Eva (a"h),

This is not about how you died, but rather, how you lived…

What would it be like if you were still here?
The urge to pick up the phone and call you, will never disappear
You remain always in front of my eyes, and in my mind
The words to explain are impossible to find

Our friendship began with trepidation, and on all sides fear
To run S.W.O. we were chosen, our goals were clear
We decided to do the best job that we could
And together, above and beyond, we did more than we should

It was you, Shoshanna and me
We hung together like the musketeers three
We lived and breathed S.W.O. morning, noon and night
And amazingly, we always agreed – never did we fight

There could have been many issues upon which we could disagree
But our minds were always one – we showed a great amount of unity
Our many years together made our friendship a must
Based on commitment and truly on trust

After our girls "graduated", we could have gone on our way
But we still kept so close, sharing , and caring each and every day
The phone conversations, the country visits, and Shabbasim we spent together
Life happens...some things happy and some sad... we cherish and remember

With Joy and Shoshanna, our "adventures" brought us such pleasure
We'd tried all the new restaurants, the times we now treasure
You would first order your "COKE" which was your special delight
And share your "order" giving everyone a bit

No matter the place, the time, we laughed hearty until we cried
We were in stitches, holding our side
Speaking of "stitches", you were a "knitter" so great
I knew I could all you for help (sometimes even when it was late)

You could pick up stitches that were lost, read a pattern and explain
And gave over so clearly, what made me insane
You were always to patient, so kind, and sweet, anything you did brought you pride
Your creativity and expertise came from within, deep inside

You were always willing to be a listening ear
Another special way to show that you care
Your advice always came from you heart
Surely this will be missed, now that we are apart

When I planned Shira's wedding, who did I call?
You and Shoshanna, who naturally knew it all
You came and helped me prick out my gown
I knew if it was good or not, just by seeing your smile or your frown

A tuck here, a dart there
Perfection was needed, and you made that clear
Our welfare was always your priority, you were so concerned
Credit for a lasting friendship between us and the Scher's you earned

At a time when life seemed so dark and despair
It was Joy and Reuven who you called upon to be there
The theater shows brought us to laughter and tears
Especially "MENOPAUSE"which we reminisced for years

I still have the message with your voice on my cell
It was my last birthday wish from you, as you wished me well
Why it was not erased, I will never understand
Perhaps, so that I can always hear your voice on demand!

May your Neshama have an Aliya
and may you find true Menucha in 
Gan Eden

Susan Samet

Love, Natalie B

Casino Night in Clearview, 1988

I miss the daily wake up calls that started my day. It is amazing that even though we spoke the night before, we had what to talk about early in the morning.

Tamara, Adina, Dassy and Bim, 1988

I miss going over for coffee before school or sitting on my little porch having coffee after school.

I miss Eva playing Mahjong on a weekly basis, or forcing her to play on other nights of the week.

Mommy's 40th Birthday Party at Irving & Sandy Katz's

I miss the many Shabbat meals that we spent together.

I miss the phone calls from Costco, Shoprite, Pathmark, & Moishes asking each other, "do you need anything?" And causing us to have an ongoing cheshbon (tally).

Norwegian Cruise, 2008

I remember the cruises, the trips to A.C., the trips to the mall and all of the other "Yenta" good times.

Norwegian Cruise, 2008

I cannot imagine being in Clearview without Eva.

There is not a waking moment that I do not think of Eva or miss her. Eva was a wonderful friend, mother, and grandmother to her children as well as to mine.

Love,
Natalie Baitner

Love, Shoshanna K

Mommy and Shoshanna in Clearview

Your mother and I were quite a team. No matter what we did, something went "different."

My best shopping experience ever

When we went to the bungalow, we shared a car for the summer. Our outings were relegated to grocery shopping, fruit and vegetable shopping, meat shopping and some miscellaneous stuff. We went every place together. Remember, Wednesday and Thursday were days that we shopped and schlepped and schlepped, etc...

One day, we went to Mountain Fruit in Monticello. I spent time carefully picking the best canaloupes that I could. I put them in my wagon and a young Chasideshe man (about 20), came up to me – very red in the face – and suggested that I might want to take some stickers off my shirt. I thanked him and looked down. Well, on two protruding spots, were two stickers. Each marked $1.49.

I couldn't contain myself. I thanked the young man for bringing this to my attention as this could be quite embarrassing. I couldn't stop laughing. I ran through the store until I saw your mother. She thought that I must have lost my mind (again) and I just kept pointing to my shirt. When she finally realized what I was pointing at the two of us were in tears. That was my best shopping experience EVER at Mountain Fruit.

And we can't forget...

Dena, of course will never forget YOU HOO, U.P.S. MAN...And Yitzi who kept saying, "this looks like a little dirt road." It wasn't our fault that we were on the wrong side of the mountain!

Yitzi and Mommy

Summer cars

One of our wonderful summer cars had a very interesting windshield wiper system. The wiper worked so well that it even wiped the SIDE window. Unfortunately, as it reached the driver side window, it did not retract to the front until it was manually pushed. This was when we were younger and your mother did not drive on the highway. We wanted to go to Middletown (we had to escape). Unfortunately, it began to rain. Need I say more?

When we reached Middletown, I was soaking wet. My window had to stay open and my left hand kept pushing the wiper bak into position as I drove with my right. We laughed all the way to Middletown. It's a wonder we got there at all.

Bubby and Mommy on the porch...always knitting

Ice Cream

In later years, your Bubby needed blood tests every week and we had to go to Harris Hospital. One day, while I was sitting in the waiting room, I noticed an ad for an old fashioned ice-cream parlor in Mountaindale. I love ice-cream!

I was so excited that it was hard to contain myself. As soon as we returned to the bungalow, we called and guess what? They only used Hershey's ice cream and it was kosher. That Saturday night, we DRAGGED our husbands to Mountaindale. It was a very dark road and no GPS in those days – but we were on a mission and wouldn't give up. Well, we had something called the KITCHEN SINK (it's a bit of everything). Boy were we sick, but it was great. We tried to keep this place a secret as long as we could, but somehow other people in the bungalow started going and somehow the first time was still the best.

(And then there was the day) it was Erev Tisha Ba'av ad I NEEDED ICE CREAM. Marley's had already closed and I was desperate. So....we drove to Middletown to Friendly's. After we finished our yummy stuff, we began our trip home. There was a funny noise coming from our car. We pulled into a gas station and the attendant assured us that everything was fine. It was just our muffler which would definitely stay on the car to Monticello and we shouldn't worry. So, we took off again and LOST the muffler as we got on to Route 17.

My Best Friend

Your mother was my second half, my grounded half...my best friend. I never had to start a thought at the beginning...she knew exactly what I was thinking and exactly how to guide me. Of course, sometimes, I went a little off course. She was the straight man and I was the comic relief...She was thoughtful (everyone came before her), kind, sincere and was always there for me. A true best friend.

Many people go through their whole lives without finding a best friend. I had Eva and I consider myself one of the luckiest people on earth.

Shoshanna