Anita L Schreff

Mrs. Schreff was born on September 9, 1928 in Yonkers, New York to the parents of Herman and Rebecca Lutchin. Married in Mt. Vernon, New York on May 24, 1953 to beloved husband Michael C Schreff for over 60 years. She attended Hunter College in New York City. She also studied Interior Design at Paier School of Art. Anita was hired as a national field worker for Hadassah and was sent to Israel in l949 shortly after Israel declared statehood. She worked with a combination of new immigrants and post World War 2 displaced victims of the Holocaust to help them get settled in Israel.

After growing up in Yonkers, New York, she lived in New Haven, Hamden and Woodbridge, Connecticut for over 40 years, before moving to The Fountains Country Club in Lake Worth Florida for the past 20 years. Her greatest time was spent with her devoted family, traveling, reading, teaching folk dancing, playing tennis, and conversing about numerous subjects. She was an avid gardener and cook, and attended numerous live theater and film series. A life long learner, she and her husband attended Palm Beach Community College courses, and supplemented that with numerous educational trips through Elder Hostel worldwide. In addition to her numerous years of volunteer service for Hadassah, WELI Radio Call-to-Action, B’Nai Brith and Congregation Mishkan Israel Sisterhood, she launched the New Haven chapter of the Stanley Kaplan Educational Testing Center with her beloved friend Blanche Dodes, which they ran successfully on behalf of thousands of undergraduate and graduate students for over 10 years. Mrs. Schreff is survived by her beloved husband Michael Schreff of Lake Worth, Florida; loving children David Schreff, her son and his wife Melissa Schreff of Greenwich, Connecticut and Joshua Schreff, her son of Bel Air, California; cherished grandchildren Benjamin Schreff of New York City; Daniel Schreff and his fiancée Jocelyn Blier of Washington DC; Rebecca Eden Schreff at Princeton University. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Hyman and Rebecca Lutchin of Yonkers, New York, both of blessed memory. She was pre-deceased by her mother in law Helen Schreff and father in law Israel Schreff, Brooklyn, New York, both of blessed memory. She was pre-deceased by her older sister Edith Seigel of Boca Raton, Florida and her brother-in-law, Oscar Siegel, both of blessed memory, Sister in Law and Brother in Law: Rita Schreff, and Arthur Schreff (of blessed memory) Niece Janet Kaplan and her husband Al Kaplan; Nephew David Siegel and his wife Vickey Siegel; Niece Mindy Schreff and her husband Steven Schuetzer; Nephew Richard Schreff and his wife Barbara. Cousins Howie and Lori Friedman, Judy Friedman, Lee Friedman and his wife Hinda. Anita loved them and all of their extended families. Her life was filled with many friends from Hamden and Woodbridge, Connecticut, New York City, and Florida. She loved the menagerie of family pets including dogs Barney, Snoopy and Nutmeg, and was humored and amazed by the many cats (including Butterscotch, Pepper, Cinnamon and Rusty), parakeets, hamsters, ferrets, cockatiels and rheas that occupied her home and later her children’s homes. Anita was also devoted to Melissa Schreff’s family including Margaret Hoskins, and Lowell Hoskins (of blessed memory); Bonnie Hoskins and her husband James Llamas and their sons James and William; David Hoskins and his wife Anne; Laurel Hoskins and her husband Stephen Pevar and their daughters Liana and Elena; Jill Levine and her daughter Sarah.

Chapel services will be held at Leo Gallagher and Sons Funeral Home, 31 Arch Street, Greenwich, Connecticut, 06830 (Tel: 203.869.1513) on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. Cantor Shira Adler will conduct the funeral service in Greenwich and graveside prayers in New Haven. Internment to follow at Congregation Mishkan Israel Cemetery, Whalley Avenue and Jewell Street, New Haven, Connecticut. (www.http://cmihamden.org/who-we-are/cemetery) In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Association: www.lls.org.

Thank you to Congregation Mishkan Israel, B’nai Brith, Hadassah, Ridge Top Club, JFK Memorial Hospital, Bethesda Hospital, Camp Lakota (where she met her husband Michael. http://www.camplakota.com/)

Throughout their marriage, Michael sang and played Anita's 2 favorite songs, including "Ole Man River" (from the Broadway musical "Showboat") by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein, and also "Beautiful Dreamer" by Stephen Foster.

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,

Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;

Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,

Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,

List while I woo thee with soft melody;

Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea

Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelie;

Over the streamlet vapors are borne,

Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,

E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;

Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Thanks

David