Kathe Silverman

Kathe (pronounced Kathy) was born in Brooklyn, NY to Alexander and Rachel Schor. They initially named her Katie after grandmother, but then thought the name should be slightly different. So they invented this particular version. And it worked--it was an original, like Kathe herself. An only child, she was engulfed in love and attention growing up. She spent summers at camp in the Catskills singing, swimming and socializing; her mom worked there as a nurse to be close by. At home, her beloved poodle Gigi and cousins and dear friends enjoyed all Sheepshead Bay had to offer.

She attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, then went on to graduate from University of Rhode Island. There, in a land in many ways quite far from Brooklyn, she encountered people who had never before met a Jewish person. She was glad and proud to meet them and help them discard their prejudices and become friends. She then received her Master’s degree in speech pathology from Pennsylvania State University. Her special gift was to free students from barriers to communication. This often went beyond the particulars of speech pathology, and students thrived under her loving and attentive expertise.

She worked for the NYC board of education for many joyful years as a speech pathologist. Famous for her house parties and apple pie, she cultivated a lovely, lively environment full of antiques and art and Broadway posters. A beloved grand piano, a gift she fondly recalled was given to her in childhood from her father, sat at the center of it all, and there both she and her son Mark spent many happy hours.

Married and divorced twice, and doggedly persisting through years of mysterious intractable illness, she still managed to be the sunshine in the room. She loved travelling, especially to Prince Edward Island and to Tanglewood, and later to visit her grandchild and step-grandchildren. Finally moving to Pennsylvania to be near her son and family, she spent the last years in the rolling hills and farmland near the Susquehanna River that reminded her of happy trips to the Berkshires, until she could no longer go out.

She is survived by her son Mark, his wife Kristin, their children Rose, Fox, Sophie and Isobel, her cousins Karen and Sue, and many other extended family members.

A graveside service for Kathe will be held Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM at Beth David Cemetery, 300 Elmont Road, Elmont, NY 11003.