Anita Strauss

Anita was born on May 18, 1938, in Newark, New Jersey, to Irving and Leah Waldman.

In addition to her devotion to her family, with whom she took great pride in the life she built, she was also committed to her work, spending 30 years at the former North Jersey Blood Center, initially with donor intake, and later overseeing quality control.

She is survived by her husband, Leonard Strauss, with whom she was married for 69 years after meeting six years earlier; her children, Jay Strauss and his wife, Sharon; Marla Heller and her husband, Bob; and Jonathan Strauss and his partner, Tami; her grandchildren, Zach, Ivie, Taylor, and Joshua; her great-grandchildren, Remi, Olivia, Willow, Joey, and Mila; and her brother, Stanley (“Sonny”) Waldman and his wife Joan.

She will be remembered for the way she adored her family and friends, and for her humor, resilience, and remarkable strength in the face of a long illness. She shared a deep and spirited bond with her husband, Lenny—their dynamic, full of sharp wit and constant back-and-forth, was a defining part of their nearly seven decades together.

Anita loved the sun and the beach, spending summers at the Jersey Shore for over 40 years. She had a lifelong love of reading and word games and was a formidable Scrabble player. She enjoyed Mah Jong in her younger years and Bingo later in life. Known for her sense of humor, she would often say that her favorite thing to make for dinner was “reservations.” She was also a devoted fan of the New York Yankees and loved watching games with Lenny.

She loved music ranging from Barbra Streisand to Janis Joplin, and her favorite song was Forever Young by Bob Dylan—which she was able to hear her sons perform for her just days before her passing.

A funeral will be held on Tuesday, April 21, at 11:00 a.m. at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel.