Rest in peace, Chippie Cohen

My great-aunt Chippie (Sylvia) Cohen passed away this morning at the age of 85 on Long Island, NY.



The youngest of 5 children, she was deeply cherished by her 4 older brothers, who escorted her everywhere when she was a child, and who all showed up on the first day that she brought her husband-to-be home to meet the family, to check him out and make sure he was good enough for their little sister.

Throughout her life she was a perceptive, sharp, humorous, practical woman who told it like it was and wasn't afraid to tell you if she disagreed. Her husband passed away a number of years before she did, and she was deeply devoted to him, tending him for many years in his illness. In her later years, she enjoyed visiting her brothers' many children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren frequently, becoming everyone's surrogate grandmother once all the other grandparents had passed away.

While she'd been fading into Alzheimer's in recent years, she was cheerful and loving and always happy to see her family to the last, even if she wasn't always quite sure which niece or grand-niece was visiting. (She was particularly fond of my mother and would often call my mother's cousins by my mother's name).

When my mother called this morning to tell me the news I immediately said I would hop on a plane back to NY, but Mom said not to come since the funeral is tomorrow and she wants to follow through on her plans to visit me here in California on Friday. So I will just remember her out here.

( A few more photos )

And on a *slightly* lighter note...

19yo: How was your day?
Me: Well, not so good. My great-aunt passed away.
13yo: Wait, what?
Me: My great-aunt passed away.
13yo: Oh! I thought you said you had great antipasto.
19yo: Me too!
Me: Ah. No.
13yo: Um, well... I'm sorry that you didn't get to have great food and that your aunt died.