Eulogy for Charlotte Edelberg

Ronnie Green

Thank you for the opportunity and honor to write a eulogy for Charlotte Edelberg (originally planned to be given at the service). Charlotte was a devoted and much loved wife and mother. I am here to share some thoughts about Charlotte, the person who I was proud to call my friend.

When I came into the Green/Aronowitz/Edelberg family, I was a 22 year old young woman. Much like in my own family, Charlotte was the youngest of several sisters. However, this family was very different than mine. It was more formal, had its own communication and I was more than a bit intimidated. Charlotte warmly welcomed me. Though she was several decades older than me, our friendship was valued by both of us. I loved her independent spirit that was fun loving, joyful and above all, honest.

We saw kindred spirits in each other. When I first met her at Yola and Paul's, she asked me why women of my generation didn't wear makeup? I told her that it was possibly because our mothers wore makeup and we needed to be different. At the time, I didn't fully understand the real meaning of this conversation until I became a mother. The answer was really about finding our own identity and forging our own way. In those early years, we talked on the phone frequently, visited often and laughed about family and sister antics. I felt loved and accepted.

Charlotte was a wonderful example of a woman who had had forged her own way. For a woman of her generation, she was a bit of a renegade. She had many traditional interests, including knitting, cooking, cross stitch and reading. But she also broke new ground by star gazing and taking up ice dancing in her 60's. She laughed as she told me this story that is indicative of her refreshing spirit. It was the year she decided to serve ribs to her family for Christmas dinner. She told me afterward in her droll delivery, that it was not received well.

We have many shared memories of visiting the house on Dead Tree Run Road and later on Grange Rd. Charlotte lived a joyful and meaningful life.

I think the best word that describes her is that Charlotte had GRACE. A definition of grace is: simple elegance or refinement of movement. Graceful is how she lived her life with clarity, honesty and an open smile-- accepting her life as it was. These last few years, without her beloved Bob, were especially difficult. She adapted and never complained. She told me frequently, that she felt like a much loved woman.

Whenever I visited, she had a smile on her face and a warm laugh when I greeted her. Her memory and legacy will live on in my heart. Her model of living life with joy, laughter and most of all GRACE, is something we can all appreciate. I love you Charlotte!