Esta Katherine Lazzari

Esta Katherine Lazzari was born at home in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn on February 18, 1924. She was the second youngest of nine children. Both her parents were from Italy. She went to school, got married, and worked in Brooklyn.

She married Frank Lazzari in 1950, and was married for 36 years up until his death in 1986. She is survived by her son, Louis Lazzari and her daughter, Frances Lazzari.

She was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan up until they “broke her heart” and left for CA, and then became a NY Yankee fan when she married Frank.

In 2005, she moved to Santee, CA with her son Louis after many suggestions by her daughter. 😊

Good Personal Qualities:

(As remembered by family & friends)

-Always had a smile on her face.

-Always caring and accommodating to all people, no matter who they were or where they came from.

-She was always a peacemaker.

-My mother always saw the best in everyone and always tried to see the light in any situation and make everyone feel comfortable, no matter what the situation. She always wanted everyone to get along. At any given time and in any given situation, she always was thinking about others, and how she could accommodate them and make them feel at home. Even in the ER room during her last day, she was concerned about all of having a seat rather than standing up and made that known to all of us. Whenever you went over her house, she always made sure you had something to eat and drink… Even if you weren’t particularly hungry. A funny sidenote: one of my friends from school was over once, and my mother offered her a slice of cake. When my friend thanked my mom but politely said she was not hungry, my mom’s reply was, “Are you sure?….Well, just look at the cake.” And proceeded to walk the cake over to my friend and display it in front of her.

For my mom’s 85th birthday, I asked friends and family to write their memories of her. These are some of them:

-She made everyone feel special, and everyone looked forward to having her around.

-She was one of the kindest persons they have ever known.

-She always made their visit to the house special.

-She had a special gift of getting everyone together in her “big orange kitchen” in Brooklyn.

-She always had an ear available and a kind word.

-She always had a story with a lesson to learn.

-She always taught people to look for the sunshine and keep a smile on their face.

-She made people feel that it was OK to take a chance and to put themselves first, when needed, and to enjoy life to the fullest.

Jobs/work experience/organizations:

Seamstress and a full-time wife, mother, homemaker, once married with children.

***Funny note: while working in a dress shop, she was asked by the owners to model a brand-new style of a swimsuit at the shop. (a two-piece). She got to keep the swimsuit after.

Hobbies/favorite activities/experiences enjoyed:

-Volunteering with church programs

-Favorite activity: dancing, dancing, dancing

Experiences enjoyed:

-being around lots of family and friends and cooking for them, and she very much enjoyed seeing them eat her cooking. You knew you were never going hungry at her house.

Likes and dislikes:

-Loved Italian food and taught her daughter and other relatives her mother’s ravioli recipe.

-Loved to dance the jitterbug and go out dancing with her siblings when she was younger. They went to many dances together in their Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn.

-NEW YORK YANKEES ***funny note: She was a die-hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and when they up and moved to CA, they “broke her heart”. So, when she married Frank Lazzari, who was Yankee fan, she became a Yankee fan and still was to her last day. She loved going to games and watching the games on t.v. I remember one time in NY the game was delayed due to rain, so the tv station showed something else in the meantime. When the rain cleared up and the Yankee game wasn’t put back on tv, she called the tv station asking why the game wasn’t on. When the station told her it was decided not to air the game, she got upset and let them know, “Your Station Stinks” ! 😊

Dislikes:

She disliked anyone not eating…. 😊

Favorite music:

-1940s big band/jitterbug music

Her Favorite Memories:

***A big favorite memory: ****she had five brothers in World War II at the same time, and her parents had five stars in their window to signify this. She remembers people passing by and ringing the doorbell to personally thank her parents.

****One other really big favorite memory: ****

On the day of her wedding in April of 1950, her youngest brother returned home from the Korean War , and during her reception, he walked right in with his uniform on and everyone was happy to see him. She said her brother “ stole the show from me”, but what a great show it was…. To have her brother back.

Another family memory:

Her and her sisters used to tease her father, and she would say her father was so tranquil and calm, that he would just laugh along with them and they all shared a big laugh together.

Her favorite word: (everyone can attest to this) BEW DEE FULL (Beautiful) In a thick Brooklyn accent.