Audrey Savitt

August 1, 1921-August 15, 2013

Our beloved Audrey Savitt passed away today, August 15, 2013, at the age of 92, at Meadowbrook Care Center, Freeport, N.Y.

Audrey grew up and lived in Manhattan and Queens, NYC. during the 1920’s –’40’s. She attended Hunter College, studying English and Literature, which was later to explain her gargantuan appetite for both fiction and non-fiction novels. Her consumption of novels ran at the rate of about one per day over the course of her lifetime. Not a day passed when she wasn’t seen reading a latest NY Times best seller or some other work on her Kindle. She adored reading, the arts, films, music and was a true aficionado of Broadway shows. She was an excellent dancer, and loved to attend any event where music was to be enjoyed and danced to. She was also an avid viewer of the TV show Jeopardy and few, if any, could equal her ability to quickly and correctly provide the question to a topic answer.

During the years of World War II, she worked for the US Department of War, supporting various production crews in the making of such well known war propaganda films as the Frank Capra directed Why We Fight Series, as well as other films directed by the likes of well-knowns Lewis Allen, John Ford and John Cromwell. She would speak glowingly of those years and of the contributions she felt she had made to the U.S. effort.

In later years, she partnered with her husband, Jack, to help co-manage his import-export business. Her administrative and managerial skills were superb, and she was responsible for managing an overwhelmingly large amount of document handling in a given day. She always rose to the occasion: in addition to her excellent skills, she was reliable and steadfast, a definite asset to the successful management of her husband’s company.

But most of all, Audrey was adored and respected by her many friends and family members. She was held in highest esteem by members of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach where she had served as President of the Sisterhood from 1961-‘63. She developed many close loving friendships with members of this Congregation and always boasted about how wonderful these relationships were. She truly loved learning and looked forward to her time and classmates in Bible Class—when a class would end, all she would do was yearn for the very next class to begin. She was a loving friend, there for all who welcomed the warmth and compassion of an empathetic, loving and generous soul. Audrey was a very happy, vital and spiritually vibrant woman: a lover of life and most often the life of any party. Whenever she walked into a room, it would automatically light up; when she left that room, it became dimmer, as our world has now become as a result of our losing her.

First and foremost, Audrey was a wonderful and most loving mom. It was really what she lived for. She did everything and anything possible to insure that her children had a wonderful life. No sacrifice was too great for her. She was extremely proud of her family: her loving daughter Mimi Kaplan, sons Bruce and Art Savitt, son-in-law Arthur Kaplan; daughters-in-law Anita and Lisa Savitt, grandson Jake Savitt, step grandchildren Tracey Diamond, Todd Kaplan, Randi Kaplan and great grandchildren Josh, Ethan, Chloe, Bailey, Jamie and Jim. She was a fabulous mother and grandmother, and we are all blessed by having enjoyed so many wonderful years with her. We will surely miss her energy, spirit, guidance, sense of humor, wisdom, warmth, her laugh—but most of all, her undying and unconditional love for all of us.

Memorial service will be held on Friday, August 16, at 9:30 am, at Boulevard Riverside Chapel, 1450 Broadway, Hewlett, NY 11557. Please forward donations to Atlantic Beach Rescue Squad, 1 Rescue Road, Atlantic Beach 11509; attention Jonathan Kohan or Neil Metz