Reva Ratisher

Reva was the daughter of Edith and Irving Block of Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Williamsburg, where her parents owned a laundry. After the family moved to Queens, she attended Richmond Hill High School, where she was a proud graduate of the Class of 1954, in the commercial track.

After high school, Reva went to work at Estate Auto Corp. in Richmond Hill, where she was the office manager and bookkeeper. In 1957, she married Jack Ratisher, and continued working until the birth of her first child, Susan, in 1961. A son, David, soon followed in 1964. During these years, she was a stay at home mom, and served as the Vice President of the PTA at PS 178 in Holliswood, where both of her children attended elementary school. She went back to work when Susan and David were teens, once again as a bookkeeper, this time at the Boulevard AMC car dealership in Bayside.

Reva was also a talented artist, and over the years she enjoyed taking art lessons to refine that talent, particularly painting. Several of her works adorned the walls in her home. She also worked as a leader for Weight Watchers in the 1980s and 90s, where she conducted several classes a week to encourage others to embrace the healthy lifestyle she successfully achieved. She had a wonderful sense of humor, always accompanied by a characteristic “snort” of laughter that was infectious and made other people laugh along with her.

In the early 2000s, she and Jack moved from their house in Jamaica Estates to a new home in the Windsor Park Cooperative in Oakland Gardens. Reva proudly served as a member of the Board of Directors for many years after Jack’s death in 2006, where she used her people skills to help her community.

Reva was a voracious reader and could usually be found immersed in the pages of all kinds of books – her library card got a lot of use! Additionally, she was a keen mah-jongg player, getting together with friends weekly to enjoy the game they all loved.

In 2022, Reva relocated to Atria Riverdale in the Bronx to be closer to where Susan lived. She quickly became a fixture in the community and was beloved by other residents and staff alike until her death.

Reva is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and James Ryan, her son and daughter-in-law, David and Lowana Ratisher, and her grandson, James Ryan, along with his fiancée, Lien Landin.

A Funeral Service for Reva will be held at 12:00 PM, Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at Parkside Memorial Chapels located at 114-03 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Burial will take place after the funeral at Wellwood Cemetery (office is located at the adjacent Beth Moses Cemetery, 1500 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon, NY 11704.