Florence G Tabicman

Florence Tabicman (Rosenblatt) peacefully passed away on November 25th, 2015 at the age of 92. Florence was a resident of River Garden in Jacksonville, FL for the past 10 years and has left a lasting impression on all of the residents, staff, and visitors. Florence was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Rosenblatt and her son Paul Tabicman. Florence leaves behind a loving daughter Cindy and son-in-law Jim, and grandchildren Paul & Allyson.

Florence, who we simply referred to as “Bubbe” was a vibrant and bold individual who loved her family above all else. She had a personality that filled any room and was always quick to sing a duet with anyone who was interested. Bubbe was a performer who thrived on bringing joy to others and would want her family to celebrate her life at this challenging time.

Please leave additional tributes below – she has touched so many and will live on through our memories!

Tribute from her Grandson Paul:

I lost my grandma this morning. Known by most as Bubbe, she is one of very few grandmas I know that had countless other aliases and names throughout her life - Florence Fishman, Frieda Fluckman, Florence Popiel, Florence Tabicman, Florence Rosenblatt (I’m sure I’m missing a few and I don’t think I’ll ever really know where they all came from). From the time I was little, I had a special relationship with her. She was by no means a traditional grandma with one exception - she had true unconditional love for her grandkids. I was named after her son Paul who she lost when he was 19 years old. I could do absolutely no wrong and she made that fact known to anyone who would listen. We both shared a love for singing and were especially fond of the musicals “South Pacific” and “Fiddler on the Roof”. For the past 10 years, I can’t think of a time where we talked on the phone or were together where we didn’t sing a duet of “Sunrise, Sunset” or “Some Enchanted Evening”. When either of us were down, it just took the first few notes to get us both happily singing. She really became a friend and someone who understood my sick and twisted sense of humor (she actually gave me a run for my money which is something I can’t say for many). She had a signature meatball which she always referred to as "Bubbe's Balls", which certainly gave me a laugh through my puberty years.

She suffered from alzheimer’s and dementia which ended up removing all inhibitions and actually made her more like me. I have a vivid memory of me walking in to River Garden (the retirement community where she lived out her recent years) and her telling me in her best New York Jewish Grandmother accent “Pauly, I just wanna be schtuped by a man. There are just no young men here!” As I mentioned, our relationship wasn’t normal, but for those who know me, it worked out really well and it was obvious we were cut from the same cloth. Other great memories include me pawning her off as a homeless person in New York with a cup trying to make money (see pic below) and me abusing her alzheimer’s by asking her around 10 different times on Thanksgiving what she was thankful for (interestingly enough, she gave a different answer pretty much every time and I will definitely cherish that video).

I am so grateful that she got to meet all 3 of my kids and as recently as this June, we were able to get some family pictures. She got to dance at my wedding and even let me take a picture of her holding a Glock 9mm handgun (absolutely frightening picture). I will deeply miss her but after seeing her in June, I recognized her quality of life had drastically decreased and for someone who truly loved living life, I hated seeing her like that. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday and it seems appropriate that we will celebrate her life this week. She loved food and went peacefully this morning during breakfast. I love you Bubbe and am so glad you are at peace and are back to living life to its fullest. I’m sure you have your witty brilliance back now and are giving everyone above a run for their money!