France Noveck

On Feb. 26, my mother, beloved wife, grandmother, sister and friend France Noveck passed away, aged 86 but eternal in spirit. Born France Guénoun in Marrakech Morocco, France grew up in a large and prominent French Jewish family with twelve brothers and sisters. Both her parents were widowers with 5 children between them who then married and had eight children together. France is survived by four of her sisters, her only child Gregory and two grandchildren. She studied at the Conservatoire de L’Art Comédie in Paris and appeared in several productions there.

After coming to the US in 1962 the US she worked as an event planner and hostess at the French Embassy in NY and as well as occasionally modeling couture clothes by French designers. In 1966, she married international film editor, director and actor Fima H.Noveck and made their home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. A devoted mother to son Gregory, she continued to work at various times as a jewelry designer, model, interior decorator and real estate broker. Always fashion forward, as a New York socialite she was a trendsetter, wearing unique creations by the biggest designers of the day including Dior, Givenchy, Zandra Rhodes, Yves St. Laurent and countless others. A dedicated world traveler, she loved experiencing new cultures and cutting-edge cuisines. As much as she loved visiting places from Argentina to the Canary Islands to Bhutan, her favorite destination was always France. A regular presence for decades at the Cannes Film Festival, she was just at home with the glamour of Monaco as with the street markets of Paris.

She entertained many notable people in her home and she was a regular presence in Beverly Hills when her husband worked in Los Angeles in the latter part of his career. After her husband passed away in 2004, she dedicated herself to her grandchildren and to volunteering with multiple charities including the Lighthouse Guild for the blind, the League of Women Voters, Temple Emmanuel and many others. She was a cook, a global traveler, an entertainer and dedicated theater-, gallery- and movie-goer. She was a fixture at Directors Guild of America screenings in NY for over fifty years. A dear friend, sister, mother, grandmother and widow, as well as a living embodiment of 20th century fashion, she will be missed and always remembered.