Beatrice Kagan

After 95 years, our dearest Beatrice Kagan left this earth on February 10, 2021 to join her parents Lillian and Samuel Kagan, her younger brothers, Sheldon and Paul Kagan, along with so many of her other Kagan and Nedowitz family members in heaven.

She is survived by her beloved Joseph DiGiovanni, her one true love for over forty years, her sister-in-law Florence Kagan, nieces Melanie (Ross) Canter and Linda (Ron) Cosmero, great niece Mia Canter, great nephews Gabriel Canter and Matthew Cosmero.

Beatrice (Bea) Kagan was born an old soul, wise and enlightened. Growing up in the Bronx, surrounded by extended family, her favorite place to be was at the kitchen table, with her mother and aunts, a cup of tea, and a piece of her mother’s delicious apple cake. She listened carefully to their captivating conversations and the turbulent history of both her parents' immigrant stories. Her love of listening quickly grew into a love for reading. It was no surprise to anyone who knew her, that after completing her undergraduate studies at Hunter College, Bea went on to get her masters degree in Library Science from Columbia University. She started working as a librarian right away for the Queens Public Library and happily continued working for QPL for twenty years. When asked later in life "If you could have done any job in the world, what would it have been?" Bea quickly answered, "A librarian, now and forever." Even after her retirement in 1990, Bea stayed a part of the QPL family by her loyal, annual donations to the Queens Public Library Foundation. Along with books of all kinds, she loved the Metropolitan Opera, everything on PBS, the NY Times Crossword Puzzles, traveling, learning new things, and the sound of Joe singing while working on one of his many hobbies. She was the keeper of our family history and taught us the importance of tradition. Bea was intelligent and witty and her mind was sharp as a tack until the very end. Truth, Love, Faith, Trust, Hope and Charity were values she held dear and she shared them with all who knew her. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.

Bea’s family would like to thank Neha Gujarati from Invisible Hands, for her immense kindness and generosity and for making the impossible task of grocery shopping possible during this difficult year. We also must thank the exceptional Dr. Sherman Klein, for being Bea's guardian angel, along with the outstanding and dedicated staff at Flushing Hospital, who comforted and cared for Bea during her final days. And last but not least, our deepest gratitude goes to Joseph DiGiovanni for his loyalty and love, and for being by Bea's side when she needed him the most.

A funeral service was held on February 17, where Bea was laid to rest at Montefiore Cemetery next to generations of her family. Her niece Melanie and great nephew Gabe were able to attend in person along with Joe to help facilitate a zoom service. Bea's surviving extended family was able to unite via zoom to honor Beatrice and remember those who have gone before her. It was a beautiful tribute to Bea and the Nedowitz/Kagan family line.

If you would like to honor Bea, please donate to the Queens Public Library. In her own words, “I donate to the Queens Library when someone passes because the library puts a label in a book with the honorees’ name — I feel that as long as someone sees the person’s name, the person remains alive.”

Her memory will be a blessing and will live in our hearts forever.

https://www.queenslibrary.org/support/Honor-and-Memorial-Giving