I’ve worked with Irene for 4 years. She was very loving and caring to not only me and my family. I will miss her dearly. She was such a great person. May she rest in peace

Grandma Renee aka Nanny Irene, you are deeply loved and missed. I will always treasure the memories. The blue of the robin’s eggs we found. Learning to mix paints to capture the sky, grass, trees and houses on the canvas. You teaching me how to fix my painting mistakes (there were many). Your beautiful voice, whether singing “Fly Me to the Moon” or “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.” The way you pronounced beautiful “bee-YOU-tee-full.” Your sense of humour. You were a very special, loving, kind, funny, interesting and talented person and I’m very lucky to be your granddaughter. 
Love always, 
Lauren

Irene, Mommy, Mother, Nanny Irene as we often called her, was a beautiful, loving, caring, generous, kind and gentle soul. I know she would not want us to be sad, but to honor her with joy. 

She had a big heart that touched those who knew her. Everything Irene did was out of kindness. If she knew you for 1 day or for 5 years, She would tell you She loved you. 

Painting was her passion. I remember as a young child, going with her to the Arts Student League and watching her paint. She always tried recruiting anyone to sit for her so she could paint their portrait. I, thankfully, succumbed to her wishes several times. She was very proud of her artwork and loved sharing it with everyone. As a youngster, I would tell people “my mother is a portraitist.” 

Throughout her years, Irene was good at sharing her helpful hints and giving me wise guidance such as :

Take something to eat, you look too thin

Take melatonin to help you sleep, it will help you sleep

Don’t worry so much, try to relax

Don’t talk to me while you’re driving, there are crazy drivers out there

Sit down, you stand too much

Take a little nap, you look tired

Don’t eat candy, it’s bad for you

The list goes on…

Irene was like a pure, honest child. She was a special kind of person who danced to a different beat. May you rest in peace mommy and keep on dancing. Love you

One of the greatest gifts a person in this world can possess is the ability to truly see the beauty in the moments sprinkled throughout a life, however fleeting they may be. Like the delicate yellow wildflowers that visit the foothills of the catskills with the blush of spring, a room filled with laughter, the first lush of love, or the enchanting sound of music that fills a home, not all things last, however their transience does not lessen their impact or minimize their beauty. Those moments leave a lasting impression, and when embraced, are forever etched in our hearts and in our souls.  

Nanny Irene saw the world in a way I wish many of us could, and I suppose that’s why she naturally gravitated towards art. She understood those moments, felt them on a deep level, and loved to share that beauty and the happiness it gave her with those around her, especially those she loved.

The great overriding rule of Torah living, as enunciated by the Rambam, is one of balance. The road to spiritual and emotional greatness lies in the middle. Nanny understood the balance of life, the only extreme being her love for it, and the love she shared with her family and friends. 

Maimonides teaches that a righteous person is the foundation of the world, and one who acts righteously tips the balance of the entire world to merit and saves it. Nanny’s presence alone could tip the balance.

She was a wildflower, and like the wildflower,  etched a sense of poignant beauty in our minds and in our hearts that will forever leave an impact on all who were fortunate enough to gaze upon her beauty, and who’s presence we will long for, as we long for the soft spring sun at the end of the winters cold, in the hope that we may see the wildflower paint the landscape of our world once again. 

Love you forever Nanny,

Jake

OBITUARY

Irene Zasloff

5 April, 1926 – 3 December, 2023

Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery & Funeral Chapel

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