Obituary of Mildred Halpern

<center><b>February 22, 1923 – February 3, 2017 <br> <b>Memorial Gathering </b> <br> Friday, February 10, 2017, 2:00 p.m. Jewish Home Assisted Living (Theater, 2nd floor) 685 Westwood Avenue, River Vale, NJ 07675 201-666-2370 <br><br> Rest in peace, Mom. You were the best—one of a kind—and will be missed … by your children, extended family, and so many more! You lit up the world with your big heart and your smile.<br><br> * * * * * * * * * * * * * </center> <br><br> Mildred passed away peacefully and with great dignity at age 93, after a long life well lived, on Feb. 3, 2017, surrounded by her three children. <br><br> Proud native of Montreal, QC, Canada, formerly of Paterson and Cliffside Park. Beloved wife of the late Seymour (Sy) Halpern of Paterson, NJ. Loving mother of daughters Gale Halpern of Cambridge, MA, and Sherry Halpern of Glen Mills, PA, and son Gary Halpern of Seattle, WA; grandmother of Dana Feldesman of Media, PA. <br><br> Daughter of the late Alice and Adolph Stattner, twin sister of the late Beatrice (Stattner) Taylor (& late Bill Taylor), sister of the late Morris (Bill) Stattner (& Ruth) & the late Lewis (Lew) (& late Ruth), all of Montreal. Sister-in-law of the late Janet (Halpern) & Nat Sarver, Mildred (Halpern) Lesnick, and Evelyn (Halpern) & Jack Parness. <br><br> Loving aunt of Sheila Sarver; Ira Sarver (Irene, Daniel & Raychel); Shone (Stattner) Edel (& Froyam), Ron Stattner, Carla (Stattner) Vineberg (& Ronnie); Franki (Stattner) Yanofsky (& Peter), & Jeff Stattner (& the late Ilene); Bob Taylor, Brian Taylor (& Christine Menard), the late Beverley Taylor, the late Robert Parness, and Edward Lesnick. <br><br> Mildred was a devoted mother to Gale, Sherry, & Gary; we know how lucky we were to have her with us for so long (especially after losing our "Daddy Sy"—"Sy the Ex-GI"—in 1970, so long ago). We all had special, close relationships with Mom and daily contacts by phone as well as frequent visits. She was adored by her granddaughter, Dana Feldesman. <br><br> Mom had a true joie de vivre and always had a smile on her face. She was wonderful, supportive, and helpful to family and friends. Active throughout her life, she was involved as a parent with our schools (past president of Fair Lawn Cooperative Nursery School), PTA, and scouting groups, with arts and culture (concerts, museums, classes, etc.), volunteer service, extensive world travel, sports (she was an avid tennis player with a strong game even into her mid-80s), piano playing (able to sight-read and play classical music to the end of her life)—all values and activities she shared with and imparted to her children. She was a businesswoman even before "women's liberation" and self-sufficient after being widowed at the young age of 47. Mom was a real estate broker in NJ for over 40 years and a past president of the Passaic County Board of Realtors. More recently, she had worked at Jewish Family Services, Kosher Meals on Wheels program, in Teaneck, NJ. <br><br> We had so many reasons to be proud of her. <br><br> Since moving to Jewish Home Assisted Living in October 2012, she continued to be active and involved with the many activities offered (cultural, movies, news-oriented, exercise, arts & crafts, spiritual, welcome committee, and more). She made new friends easily and was happy, content, and never complained; the staff loved her. She was recognized as a “fashionista,” always turned out smartly, with full jewelry and makeup. She was known for her beautiful skin, and people were always surprised to find out her true age, thinking she had to be much younger. She loved the flattery! <br><br> Did we say we had so many reasons to be proud of her? It bears repeating! <br><br> There will be a brief shiva at JHAL on Wed., Feb. 8, 2:00-4:00 p.m. A special memorial gathering will be held in Mildred’s honor at JHAL on Fri., Feb. 10, at 2:00 pm. <br><br> Donations in Mildred's memory may be made to: - <a href="http://jewishhomefamily.org/JHFoundation/ or 201-784-1414">Jewish Home Foundation at http://jewishhomefamily.org/JHFoundation/ or 201-784-1414</a> , OR - <a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Giving/Giving_UCM_001137_SubHomePage.jsp">The American Heart & Stroke Association at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Giving/Giving_UCM_001137_SubHomePage.jsp</a>. <br><br> Special thanks to the JHAL staff for their loving caregiving and attention to Mom during her 4+ years of residence. We were overwhelmingly moved by their touching tribute as they paraded into her apartment to bid her farewell and share stories and happy memories with us before she passed. Every one of them mentioned her smile, her beauty, her appearance, and how she made them all feel so special with her warmth, greetings, and respect. <br><br> Mildred/Mom was much more than all this. She leaves quite a legacy. We will miss her deeply. <br><br> <center>* * * * * * * * * * * * * </center> <br><br> Brief Obituary in The Record (Bergen County NJ) and on www.Legacy.com <br><br> <b>Mildred (Stattner) Halpern</b> <br><br> Passed away peacefully & with great dignity at age 93, after a long life well lived, on Feb. 3, 2017, surrounded by her 3 children. Proud native of Montreal QC, Canada, formerly of Paterson & Cliffside Park. Beloved wife of the late Seymour (Sy) Halpern of Paterson NJ. Loving mother of daughters Gale Halpern of Cambridge MA & Sherry Halpern of Glen Mills PA, & son Gary Halpern of Seattle WA, grandmother of Dana Feldesman, aunt of Sheila & Ira Sarver (originally of Fair Lawn). Resident at Jewish Home Assisted Living (685 Westwood Ave., River Vale NJ), where a memorial will be held in Mildred’s honor on Fri., Feb. 10, at 2 pm. Mildred & family are grateful to JHAL staff for their loving attention to her since Oct. 2012. Donations in her memory may be made to <a href="http://jewishhomefamily.org/JHFoundation/ or 201-784-1414">Jewish Home Foundation</a>. For expanded bio and photos, go to <a href="http://jewishhomefamily.org/JHFoundation/ ">Jewish Home Foundation at http://jewishhomefamily.org/JHFoundation/</a> or 201-784-1414. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.edenmemorial.com/">www.edenmemorial.com</a>.