Condolence: Here are links to photos from a happier occasion when we got together to celebrate Dvorah's 95th birthday. (You may have to cut-and-paste or type these links into your browser's address bar.)

http://peregrine.smugmug.com/Family/Dvorahs-95th-Birthday/4982543_4mBvgx

http://peregrine.smugmug.com/Family/Dvorahs-95th-Birthday-Gabriels/5071393_LSWtgK

Condolence: I will miss Aunt Dvorah, the last surviving relative of my father's (Morris Passer) mother's (Bella Aldort Passer) generation. She and Uncle Lou would never miss a family event, even if they had to travel to Israel in order to attend. For me,her memory will always be for a blessing.

Condolence: I´m finally able to get internet service at a neighboring village.
Bear and I brought down the photo of Safta from years ago surrounded by her great grandchildren (way...pre Amanda and Leon.) It´s usually on a shelf in our bedroom, and now sits prominently on the kitchen table. The Safta stories are flying! Thank you so much for your call, Ami where we were able to cry and share our memories of this remarkable woman.

This is the story I promised Safta I would tell AFTER her funeral. It feels like she´s standing behind me as I type (certainly not as fast as she was able to with her lightning fast fingers and faultless keyboard memory....even numbers!)

I was visiting her in the Recovery Section at Lincolnwood after one of her hospital stays. We got the ok to take her to her apartment in the main building in her wheelchair. I think Hillary had dropped by earlier to put in some laundry. Safta´s enjoying being in her apt, we´re kibbitzing and she asks if I could check on the laundry, (a few short steps away.) In that brief moment, she made a run for her walker and it didn't work out so well. There´s Safta on the floor. I immediately run to the phone to call for help with her shrieking, "No! No! No!, They´ll make me go back to the hospital." After determining that she was ok, the crazier part of me agreed to help her get back to the wheelchair.

I wish I could pull up a video. Imagine about THREE HOURS of various maneuvers while we TRIED to accomplish getting her up (both of us laughing so hard we were crying.) Finally I said to her, "We´re out of time. If you´re not back for dinner, someone will come to see what´s happened to you, let´s just call for help." She begged for one last try. I removed the cushions from the couch and she, somehow, got up on the hide a bed springs where I was able to lift her enough to make a lunge for the wheelchair. VICTORY! (...and was there anything Safta loved more than "victory against all odds!?")

Wheeling her back to the Recovery Section, she made me promise never to tell anybody about our adventure until she was in heaven. An easy promise, as I didn't want to publish the fact that she had fallen "on my watch." She assured me that I would have the best story at the funeral!

I am so sorry I´m not there to share this and many other memories of her in person. At 10:30 Chicago time Bear and I will be down by the Rio at a special, very private spot with lovely small rapids, being "with you all" as best we can, in prayer and tears.

When I met her for the first time (and she was TOTALLY GRACIOUS, and above all, curious...her son having just married a shiksa!) I couldn't have imagined the the depth and richness of the relationship we would share. Her insight on everything from being married to raising kids, to being a woman was almost always EXACTLY what I needed to hear.

From her scheming up ideas about whatever was on her radar at the time, to dancing the Hora at 4am in Israel at Tal´s wedding, she was A FORCE! She could definitely be demanding, but she was THERE for me (and everybody else in the family) one hundred and ten percent.

Her determination, strength and zest for life is the legacy she leaves to us all. We are blessed beyond measure to have her as a role model and an ongoing inspiration.

Hallmark has a card: You Are A Human Sparkler, You Are!
I can´t say it any better.

All my love (and Bear´s too)
Noela

Condolence: Dear Devorah, Thank you for being you. Thank you for helping to build our playhouse. Thanks for Hostessing my brother’s bar mitzvah. Thanks for feeding my Susan ice cream when she was sick. Thanks for your basement. Thanks for caring. Thanks for always being with us here and there. Thanks for being you. You are so missed.

Condolence: I was so sorry to hear of her passing, even though I knew that "Life" for her was not what she had known in the past. I personally knew Dvorah and Lou so well because of them living in Niagara Falls and every "family simcha" we could count on Dvorah and Lou being there. And the pictures!!!! They remembered all of us with pictures which we treasure to this day. My most favorite of all memories is when they returned from Israel and attended Seder at Baubie and Zadie's home. We were all there together and I heard Israeli Hebrew for the first time from them. I fell in love with the Sephardic Hebrew and teach it today.

It is traumatic for me to realize that Dvorah's passing is the "end of that generation". That makes us children, of the four children of Baubie and Zadie, "the older generation."

Dvorah was very special to all of us. She has been missed and will continue to be missed by the family ---and---all who knew her.

Loda Passer Golos

Condolence: Some of you know me but unfortunately most of you do not. I knew Dvorah longer then any of you.

I am Bernie Taylor and as of now am the oldest living member of the Aldort and Taylor familes either through birth or marriage. My mother was Jennie Taylor, daughter of the Aldorts and sister and sister-in-law of Lou and Dvorah.

My mother lived in Buffalo but when she married my father, Edward Taylor, they moved.

As children we lived in Washington, D.C. and my mother, sister (Estelle) and I used to make annual trips to Buffalo to visit our grandparents. We would stay about two weeks and see all of the family. Frequently we stayed in Niagara Falls for a few days and also went to Crystal Beach for a week or so to stay with the Passers when they rented a place.

When Louie and Dvorah moved to Chicago they would make regular trips to Washington to see us. They would always attend any function we had such as my Bar Mitzvah, graduation, weddings, etc. We were always amazed at how they packed the car with food and trivia.

I'll have to admit that Louie was my favorite relative in his generation. Perhaps because he was only about 15 years older then me. But Dvorah was also something special. You won't believe this but just last week I was looking thru a photo album which Dvorah had made about my Bar Mitzvah. It also includes other pictures they took. When they came to my wedding and other affairs they almost always took pictures and sent them to us. She would frequently write little comments about the pictures.

Dvorah was always a down to earth person. She knew how close Louie and I were and she would always tell me little secrets about various members of the family. She was a very generous person who always remembered every anniversary or occasion. She would attend every function regardless of how much it cost or how difficult it was to attend.

She would also always tell me about you children; what you were doing; and the good and bad. I know that you were not always perfect.

The most recent thing I remember in great detail was when we attended the unveiling for Lou. Sonia (my wife) and I were living in Boca Raton, Fl. at the time. We had decided to take the auto train from Florida to Washington and then pick up my sister Estelle and drive to Chicago. When we arrived at the Sanford, Fl station after driving for 4 hours we were told that the train had been canceled because of an accident somewhere. We then called Estelle and told her that we were driving up and would pick her up and then drive to Chicago. Which we did.

When we arrived in Chicago I was completely broken hearted about Louie but she made us comfortable and we spent so much time over the next few days talking about her life with Lou. I really can't put all my emotions in words but Dvorah was a special person and relative who we all loved.

I took the list of email addresses from an email from Hillary. I don't know how you all are related but if I have missed anyone, please forward this to them.

I can't tell you how much I loved Lou and Dvorah. I have missed Louie for many years and of course Dvorah. She missed him much more, but now she will be with him.
Bernie Taylor

Condolence: I really didn't get to know Dvorah until I was an adult, even though we were first cousins (once removed). I grew up in Miami and only had occasional visits to Chicago and Evanston. One summer, about 17 or 18 years ago, I did visit the area. I stayed in a motel in Niles. The card (key) couldn't get the door to my room open, because of the heat and humidity (worse than Miami's). The kid who was staffing the front desk refused to go to the room and try and open the door. He called the manager to ask what to do. The manager didn't answer. Finally, about 45 minutes later (after midnight) he went to the room and broke in through the window. The next day I told Dvorah the story. She said, "Why aren't you staying in my house? We're family! Check out of there and come here ASAP!" I did. Northern hospitality, Dvorah style, was better than Southern hospitality, Miami style! Every time I visited Chicago after that, she insisted I stay with her, even when she was in the ALF in Lincolnwood. She bought food for me. She even invited me out to dinner. She was amazing!

The last time I saw her was last year. Obviously, I stayed in a motel that time. Jim and Ami took me to see her. She couldn't talk and was very skinny. Her eyes lit up and a great big smile was on her face, when she saw me. She held my hand. She recognized me! I was so glad I went to see her.

Hillary, you did such a great job being her advocate and going to see her so often. Ami & Jim, I know you went to see her whenever you were in the Chicago area. I thank all of you for that.

I'm really glad she and the family aren't suffering anymore from her very long illness, but I will miss her, too. She truly was an ayshech chayel (A woman of valor)! The "glue" of the family is gone. The only relative from her generation left is Tikvah Anshelovsky in Tel Aviv. How often can we go see her? She is up in years also. I was in Israel 4 years ago. She was too sick to see me back then.

Back in the U.S., I hope all of the family feuds that we in the U.S. have (not Tikvah -- as I don't think there are feuds with her) will end, because Dvorah would love that.

I'm sorry I won't be able to join you this weekend, but my thoughts and prayers will be with you.

All my love,
Sara

Condolence: All my love to you all, both were such good friends of my parents and family. i remember spending a lot of my childhood with this wonderful couple, but most of all i remember them at our pesach sedars in skokie. All of my love, Abi Kemp Ben Asher

Condolence: So much has been running through my head as I remember back to the 70 years of life I had with this remarkable woman. The Frank Sinatra song "I did it my way" just keeps popping into my head as I think my mother. I think she would have gotten a kick out of this. Such dedication and devotion she put into everything she did. The synagogue, singing in the choir, bowling, swimming, Friday night dinners, B'nai Brith, Haddassa, her jobs and most of all family. I always loved the smile on her face when I would see her and/or sign my letters, from the baby of the family your one and only daughter and of course your favorite child. Much love to all reading this and especially to my very special mother, who I know can hear me now. Ami