Phyllis G. Novick

Phyllis (Thomas) Novick was a force of nature. She believed strongly in what was right and wrong and she worked hard to make things right. She loved her family and was always thinking about how to make things better for other people. Being with other people filled her with energy, and everything she experienced she wanted to share with someone else. She lived life to the fullest and gave her full attention to almost everything she did. Children were a special focus for Phyllis. As a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, teacher, and guidance counselor she loved interacting with children of every age, challenging them to think, learn, and grow, and making them feel loved and special. Phyllis also focused on widows. Once she learned that a woman had lost her husband she would reach out to comfort them and help them navigate that difficult time.

Phyllis was born on December 7th, 1934, to Jean and Herman Thomas in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She had an older brother, Harold, and a younger sister Sarra (Salli) who have both predeceased her. Her grandparents lived nearby and were an important part of her childhood. When she was five the family moved to Allentown. Herman worked several different jobs and started several different businesses. When Phyllis was a teenager Herman had a luncheonette and she worked serving customers. When Phyllis was 16 she met Bernie Novick at a dance at the local YMHA, and when she was 19 they were married.

When they were first married Phyllis and Bernie lived for a year in Jersey City, New Jersey, then Woodbridge for three years, and then they moved to Edison. They had three children, Alan, Robin, and Susan. Phyllis had gone to Cedar Crest college in Allentown for two years, majoring in Spanish and French and then stopped when she got married. Once the kids were all in school, she went back to college, at Kean University to get her bachelor’s degree.

Phyllis taught 4th and 5th grades at Hillcrest school in Franklin Township for many years. From the very first year she did extra work to help both the more gifted students and those who were more behind. She got to know many of her students and their families personally, helping both the student and their parents. Phyllis had a great sense of humor and stimulated her students with jokes. She told them all she was 17 years old, and every year on April 1st she would write the date on the blackboard as March 32nd. Every year she would read a story centered around the acronym IALAC - I Am Lovable And Capable. Another story she told them involved Warm Fuzzies and Cold Pricklies, which helped students deal with their own feelings about what was happening in their lives. One project Phyllis developed that affected many students was called Leatherland. It was a mini business where students made

leather items like bracelets to sell. They learned about marketing, ordering materials, production, and monitoring inventory. Several students later credited their successful business careers to their experience in Leatherland in 5th grade.

Phyllis wanted to do more for the students so she went back to school to get a masters degree in guidance counseling, and she then became the first elementary school guidance counselor in her school district, covering 7 schools. She developed a parenting class and taught it for several years.

Many students kept up with Phyllis for many years after they left school, writing to her, visiting her in person, and staying connected with her on social media to this day. Together with her husband Bernie, Phyllis was active in United Synagogue Youth, (USY), going to weekend and week long events. In USY Phyllis and Bernie played an important part in involving teenagers with their Jewish heritage.

Phyllis and Bernie enjoyed travelling, and every summer the family would go camping, sometimes for three weeks at a time. They camped throughout the Northeast and as far west as South Dakota. They started out with a tent, then moved to a pop-up trailer, and finally graduated to an RV.

In 1983, Phyllis and Bernie moved to Highland Park, New Jersey, and were active in the Highland Park Conservative Temple. In 1987 they became grandparents with grandchildren in town. They would eventually have nine grandchildren whom they loved. In 1991, Bernie retired and the two of them had more time to travel. In 1999, Bernie passed away after a long illness, with Phyllis lovingly taking care of him until the end. Phyllis channeled her grief into setting up a Bikur Cholim committee in their synagogue to help families with people who were sick, visiting the ill person, helping them get to doctor's appointments, and doing whatever else was needed.

A few years after Bernie passed away, Phyllis and her committee were helping a man who had lost his wife, and it was then that she met Murray Sternberg. They hit it off and were married in 2008. Phyllis and Murray travelled all over the world together and had a warm and loving relationship. They moved to Cranbury and then eventually to Crane's Mill, an independent living facility in West Caldwell. Murray passed away in 2021, and Phyllis took care of him to the end.

Crane's Mill enabled Phyllis to continue a very active social life. She took it upon herself to interview every new arrival and write an article about them for the community newspaper. As a result she knew many residents, and

she would arrange for people who had similar interests to eat dinner together. She would attend many of the activities held at Crane’s Mill and would often be the one to introduce the speaker or the performer. She loved learning new things and hearing concerts.

Phyllis loved language. She would speak in Spanish or French to any native speaker she met. When she met someone from another country she would have them teach her a few words in their language. She was constantly working on crossword puzzles and loved puns.

Phyllis is survived by her loving family. Children: Alan and Karen (Hundert) Novick, Robin (Novick) and Danny Amster, Susan (Novick) and Buddy O'Donnell. Grandchildren: Tamar (Novick) and Meir Weiss, Ora Z. Novick, Aviva (Novick) and Michael Sterman, David and Rachi Amster, Sherry Amster, Joe Amster, Phil and Heather O’Donnell, Sean and Nicolette O’Donnell, Brett [deceased] and Tania O’Donnell. Thirteen great-grandchildren: Avraham and Yehuda Amster, Olivia, Charlie, Declan, and Lia O’Donnell, Shlomit, Ahuva, Gila, Hallel, and Moshe Sterman, Tehilla and Rena Weiss.

May her memory be a blessing.

Donations in her honor may be made to the Jewish National Fund, Chai Lifeline, or a charity of your choice.

Funeral will be held on Sunday, July 5, at 11:00am at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039. The burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery, 12 Market Street, Saddle Brook, NJ 07662