Emily Pearl Spector

Emily lived a full, creative and productive life as a poet, writer, artist and university professor. After teaching English for more than two decades at Lamar University and the University of Houston-Downtown, she joined her husband Sam in the residential real estate business. She also volunteered in a wide range of activities -- from teaching seniors how to make jewelry to delivering meals for AIDS patients and to editing a collection of memoirs called “I Remember When,” featuring several prominent Jewish pioneers. These records are preserved at the Fondren Library at Rice University. Emily also served as president and talent show producer for Beaumont’s Hadassah Women’s Organization.

In 1987, for the amusement of her grandchildren, Emily began writing light verse meant to teach character-building traits. The poems were later published as “A Moose, A Goose and Me” (bookemon.com.) Emily shared her gift of writing to all her offspring with grammar lessons that began at the dinner table. She loved family and friends and travel, even visiting family in Seattle and Albuquerque on her 97th birthday and celebrating her 98th birthday last month in Driftwood,Texas, where this Yankee was elated to hand feed an apple to a cow.

Emily was born May 11, 1922, in Elizabeth, N.J. and later moved to Staten Island, New York. When she met a charming man while visiting cousins in Texas, she left the East Coast, became his young bride and moved first to Beaumont and later to Houston. She is preceded in death by husband Sam Spector; parents David and Sidelle Greenberger, sister, Doris Baron; and lifelong friend Ruth Friedman Weisman. She is survived by her brother Martin Greenberger and his wife Liz of Santa Monica, California; daughter Connie and husband Rick Senter of Albuquerque, New Mexico; daughter Barbara and husband Larry Peyton of Bainbridge Island, Washington; son Larry Spector of Driftwood, Texas, and son Douglas and wife Anis Spector of Houston. She is also survived by grandchildren, Kelly Peyton Durante, Lauren Reid Anderson, Lindsay Peyton, Justin Spector, Sean Spector, Bryan Spector and Samantha Spector and great-grandchildren Zane and Gianna Durante. She also leaves behind nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members and dear friends. We will all miss her love of life, joy of reading, intimate knowledge of American presidents, and gratitude for a great cocktail or good buffet.

Out of respect for safety during Covid19, Facebook Live services will be held at 10:30 am Monday, June 29. A family celebration of her life will be held next year on the one-year anniversary of her passing. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American Heart Association, the Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, or one’s charity of choice.