Debra Adelstein Bell

DEBRA LYNN ADELSTEIN BELL was born March 26, 1952 and passed away January 11, 2018. Loving mother of Sam; devoted daughter of the late Renee Adelstein and Nelson Adelstein; dear sister of Joanne Bigelson, Louis Adelstein (deceased), Teddy (wife Layli) Adelstein, Penny Adelstein, Stacey Perlick and Carol Adelstein; loving aunt of Phoebe (Arthur) Carparti, Gillian, Isaac and Adam; great-aunt of Wolf. Services will be held at BERKOWITZ-KUMIN-BOOKATZ MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 1985 S. TAYLOR RD., CLEVELAND HTS., on Sunday, January 14 at 2 PM. The family will receive friends at 3355 Richmond Rd., Beachwood from 4pm to 7 pm. Contributions are suggested to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org).

To view this service please navigate to https://youtu.be/HSbfxzuhSww

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Written by Carol Adelstein

She declined in a quick and cruel fashion.

She died on a warm, spring-like day, a respite from our grueling winter.

Like many of you here today, for many years, Debby and I shared a close and loving bond. I feel this, deeply, viscerally, like a double blow, loss of life, loss of an unfulfilled relationship.

In her higher moments, Debby was a pillar in our family, she represented a certain normalcy in all the chaos, a respite from the tumult and confusion. Teddy remembers Debby organizing the older kids to play school, OF COURSE, Debby took charge as the strict teacher, a role that she enjoyed into her adulthood. Stacey remembers, Debby as someone who was always there for her, no matter what, YOU KNEW, Debby had your back. She always included us in her life, with her various friends, which were so important to her and which she had in abundance.

For all life ultimately proved to offer her, Debby succeeded in her ultimate goal, to be a mother, to Sam, whom she loved and cherished above all. Our hearts go out to him, he is so very young to meet all life's challenges without the love and guidance of his mother. Sam -I hope you can rely on me in the years to come, to do for you like your Mom.

And let us remember Debby's openness and grandness in life, extending her heart and even her home at times to others, like Bubber, during their periods of illness, giving of herself, completely unselfishly.

Shockingly, she was consumed quickly so young with disease, we feel helpless with so many unanswered questions.

During her last weeks of life, when I visited with her, while quickly slipping away, she was still able to connect with me on some level, letting me know that she was savoring the food and drink I brought her, able to recount individual family members, and always SAM.

After a recent visit, only days ago, I told her I was leaving, she surprisingly said with some degree of conviction and force and clarity: "l hate it when you leave."

I can only hope that Debby has found her own respite now, and is laughing with our Mom and Bubber, reading juicy books and eating yummy Mitchell's chocolates, and above all keeping a watchful eye on Sam.

And Yes, Debby, I hate it too now, that YOU had to leave.

MAY YOU BE WELL

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My Schvester Dubrotchka written by Joanne Bigelson

Adorable, temperamental, stubborn, very capable, forceful, feisty, serious, smart, sensitive-more than anybody knows, fierce mama bear, warrior, eyes lit up by Sam like no one else..

Deborah decided at a very early young age not to take a back seat to anyone.

She could insinuate herself into any crowd and not be intimidated. She was very much part of the group.

With her chubby cheeks and expressive eyes she was truly adorable as evidenced by the bowl haircut she was able to rock.

Deborah had a bold streak of social justice, strength and self-determination from a very early age - standing up on the playground for those who were not able to stand up for themselves. Had she had the strength in the past year she would have led her own march.

She could be charming. She could be tough. She could be vexing. She could be the one you wanted in your corner.

The Wolf-Adelstein relatives could not wait for our family to arrive at any and all family get togethers where we greeted each relative, young and old with hugs and kisses. No matter how late we arrived, the party didn't start until we got there.

Deborah could not wait to get on the dance floor with her spirited dancing. She could really shake a tail feather. She even tolerated the excruciatingly hard pinches to her apple cheeks by Uncle Itz the Kritz.

Of all the seven children, Debby most resembled our mother, Ruchel, with her good looks and her fierce protective nature. Also like our mother, was her fierce determination when it came to cleaning house. Woe to anyone who got in her way.

She was upset with me when I thought I was too old to play with dolls and she felt abandoned. She always wanted to be the mother or teacher in our make believe play.

When I talked to nurses during the last year, they always commented on her intelligence and her sense of humor.

This is the time when we ask ourselves, 'What is this life?"

In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, "Our existence is not in vain. Its meaning may not be explicable to us, yet even when we do not know 'what’ it is, we know 'that’ it is."