I know she is at peace now, no pain. The pain is for the ones left behind, but some day we will all be together again. May the Lord bless each one of you. 

When people speak of love, sometimes real love is referred to as being both pure and unconditional.  This is God's love to his creation, and maybe it is the potential for love that lies inside each and every one of us.  

In thinking about my mother Beatrice, I am moved and humbled to think of her as a role model - a person who expressed love in a pure and unconditional way.  She was a woman whose life revolved around giving to others with a steady grace and selflessness.  Despite severe hardships life would throw her way, she overcame them, and through an iron resolve and loving manner, she was able to stimulate and nurture her children, family and friends in the process.

I remember from the time we were very young, we were made to feel special.  All kids feel this to some degree, I'm sure, but with my mother, she took it to an entirely new level.  Through her encouragement, we felt that we were intelligent, talented kids, who could accomplish whatever we set our mind to.  More than just telling us this, she was certain of it.  And her certainty became our certainty – it was not just wishful thinking.  As kids, we weren't pressured into being overachievers; more that we believed it sprang from deep inside ourselves.  This was an early gift we received thanks to a wonderful mother.  

She didn't just talk the talk -  to nurture her kids, she walked the walk. From music lessons to tennis, to hobbies, she was always there for us, driving what must have seemed like endless miles, and supporting our education and our dreams.  In doing so, she put the growth and development of her children above her own personal wants or needs.     

I never remember her spending money on herself.  She scrimped and saved, always in the purpose in mind of providing for her family.  If there were anything to be saved, it would be for the future, not to be used for herself or the present.

She put three children through college, a feat made more amazing when one considers that she almost single-handedly put her twin sons through Columbia University at the same time, with limited financial resources available.  She never asked for help with this and never sought recognition or praise for it. 

My mother was an accomplished and resourceful woman.  Graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Hunter College in an era before higher education among women was the norm, she was a gifted and bright woman, with a keen intellect and a mind for numbers.  She could crunch numbers in her head for percentages and in her widely praised work in the tax industry, and displayed this talent well into her senior years.  She kept her mind sharp as a voracious reader and bridge enthusiast, inspiring her friends and family by doing so.  My brother Alex would become a top notch bridge champion, in later years under this influence.

With regard to her later years, I have decided not to dwell on the hardships and trials thrust on her by cruel disease such as severe osteoporosis causing multiple painful fractures and her rare lung disease which robbed her of normal breath, other than to say that during these outrageous hardships, she displayed a strong will to overcome adversity, and a desire to maintain her independence against overwhelming physical odds.  She wouldn't give up until the end, and while her physical body and modern medicine had their limits, her strength of will and character did not.  Faced with such hardships, most people would not and could not have displayed the same love and grace.  Yet she did. 

Memories flood back at me; of her taking us out to choose paint for our bedrooms; making the curtains out of cloth for the windows afterwards which are hanging still in mine.  Ma making chicken salad, potatoe pancakes, hemming pants.  Her look of love at graduation ceremonies, my marriage and watching her grand-children.  

When the all is said and done, what is a life well lived?  As my close family and friends know, I believe in the human spirit – that we are more than our physical bodies – that we are all spiritual beings, made by God, returning to the love of God.  In evaluating our lives, it seems to me that a life well lived is a not measured by diplomas on a wall, or the quantity of material things we possess, but by how much love we bring into the world, and the good that is done in sharing this love with others.  By any measure then, Beatrice Mildred Ornstein led an exemplary life.  She brought joy and love to her friends and family.  She cherished her grandchildren, Nikki, Joshua, and Paul, daughter in law Doris, her sister Florence, children, Andrea, Alex and Matthew and her close friends.  She gave love unconditionally, selflessly and in doing so, brought more love into this world for everyone.   We will miss you, Ma.  You will be in our hearts always.

Love,

Matthew

To all the family.  My heart felt sympathy goes out to you. She was a sweet person and I was glad to have known her these past few years. Lois & Dick Hottinger

OBITUARY

Beatrice Ornstein

Riverside-Nassau North Chapels

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services