Ruth W. Javna

Ruth Javna passed away peacefully early in the morning on September 23, 2021 at the age of 99. Ruth played many roles throughout her life: music teacher, singer, volunteer, neighbor; mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. She especially delighted in her roles as grandmother and great-grandmother. Ruth was known for her beautiful smile, which she had until the very day she left us.

Ruth was born Ruth Roslyn Wesler to Bessie Horwitz and Harry Wesler in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1922. She was the oldest of four children, and was close with younger siblings Lillian, Shelley, and Phil. Ruth graduated from Richmond Hill High School and Queens College. Lover of all things artistic, cultural, and musical, Ruth performed in many settings, including singing in the chorus of the New York City Opera and with an ensemble of four women, The D’Lovelies. Ruth was also an elementary school music teacher at P.S. 11 in Queens (where her daughters went to school) for 35 years. In her retirement years, Ruth sang with her husband in choruses and received many commendations for her community and civic volunteering, including working with older adults, organizing for Democratic causes and candidates, and reading to the blind for The Lighthouse.

Ruth was married to her husband, Cantor Jonas I. Javna of Temple Israel of the City of New York, for 58 years, prior to Jonas’ passing in 2011. The couple met when Ruth auditioned for a choir he directed. Ruth was an active member of the Temple Israel family and served a term as the Sisterhood president. Ruth and Jonas, who shared a love for all things musical, sang show tune duets for various organizations around the city well into their 70’s. Jonas once described their love with the image of sitting in a room and sharing a piece of beautiful music together.

Ruth spent most of her life in Sunnyside, Queens, a neighborhood she loved and whose many residents loved her in return. When asked where she lived, Ruth proudly stated, “10 minutes from Times Square.” Ruth was an avid reader of the New York Times and impressed her family with her knowledge of current events, cultural trends, and the arts. She made sure that her daughters watched Leonard Bernstein’s “Young People’s Concerts” and encouraged their appreciation of the arts by regularly taking them to museums, concerts, ballets and plays.

Much loved by family and friends and remembered fondly in her community, Ruth leaves behind her daughters, Heidi Rain Oleszczuk (Tom Oleszczuk) of Sag Harbor, NY and Carol Javna (Donald Borrebach) of Pittsburgh, PA. She also leaves behind her grandchildren, Joshua Rasin (Amy Rasin) and Aaron, Daniel, Naomi, and Jeffrey Borrebach, two great-grandchildren, Benson and Ezra Rasin, her siblings Phil Wesler (Berta Wesler) and Shelley Leiman, and numerous nieces and nephews with beautiful memories of their Aunt Ruth.

A graveside service will be held on Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 10:00 AM at Salem Fields Cemetery 755 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11208. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sbjmemorialchapel.com for the Javna family.