Esther Berman

Essie was a loved and loving great grandmother, grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, friend, and person. Her unwavering caring and generosity, and love, touched all those fortunate enough to know, or even those that just met her.

Born on August 1, 1937 in Chicago, Essie grew up in typical, not-so-easy conditions, as did most people at the time. She moved with her parents for a short time to Los Angeles during high school, and then returned to Chicago. In talks with Essie, that time in Los Angeles wasn’t part of her fondest memories-fitting in was extremely difficult, and she readily recalled those difficulties. But she moved forward, and in 1957, she married Jerry Berman. Jerry and Essie lived a nice life together, and had three children, Randy, Karen, and Rhonda. They lived in Skokie, where Essie kept an immaculate house, adjusted to parenthood, and provided domestically for the family. Jerry passed away in 1998, and after 40 years of marriage, Essie was figuring out life on her own.

Essie was a family person, having grown up with three sisters and a large extended family. She was more comfortable around family and a little less secure around others. However, as she got older, she found another side to herself, and became a self-described “colorful” person, with an “I am who I am” attitude. She travelled, moved to California and Nevada for a while, and then returned to Chicago.

All the while, she loved talking to everyone and anyone, wishing them well, telling them how lovely or wonderful they were, and how beautiful they were. She just simply went out of her way to compliment strangers, and to engage in positive conversation. She always told everyone, including these strangers, about her “treasures”, her grandchildren. She couldn’t even come close to masking her complete love and enthusiasm for this clan of eight “treasures".

She will be remembered for her uncanny ability to engage and positively affect those she met. While she received some satisfaction by complimenting others, she did it for them! She did it to make them feel better. She did it to bring a smile to their faces. She warmed many hearts. She loved all her family, loved being around them and watching them interact and have fun. She loved seeing them be goofy, and loved seeing them enjoy each other’s company. She did not have complicated needs, so these little, simple, and easy niceties really made her very happy.

Dancing! Essie loved to dance. Didn’t matter where it was, when it was, or how it was! Music played, and she started to groove. She would dance, no embarrassment, no restrictions, no worries.

Her last years were peaceful. Her mind wanted to grasp, but it was not capable. She hated that she couldn’t recall. She would just say, “I don’t remember, I’m confused?!” Essie wanted to remember, she just couldn’t.

Though we are saddened, we are relieved that Essie is resting, and we all had the opportunity to live with, and to celebrate her life. We can now continue to relive and recall Essie’s life and impacts on all of us.

Essie is lovingly survived by her sister Eileen; her children Randy, Karen, and Rhonda; her grandchildren Alex (Lisa), Brandon (Holly), Zachary, Cody (Tammy), Jordyn, Jessie (Tommy), Carli, and Zoe; her great grandchildren Madden and Jackson; her sons-in-law Glenn and Scott; many nieces and nephews; and other family members and close loved ones.

Essie was preceded in death by her wonderful husband Jerry; her mother and father Sylvia and Morris; her sisters Libbi and Lorraine; her brothers-in-law Bill and Sol; her son-in-law Michael; and other close relatives.

All Essie would ask is for us to enjoy every day, say something nice to a stranger or loved one, and to keep dancing. In accordance with her wishes, there will be no services.