Update 6-25-13

 

Hi,

 

Home again and happy to be here.  Unfortunately, soon after I got to New York, Robin Feit Baker died.  She'd been fighting ovarian cancer for several years, but because she was so private, almost no one knew.

    There were ten of us from South at her funeral -- Dennis Shapiro, Linda Cohen Greenseid, Danny Stellabotte, Valerie Nelson Gillen, Paul DeMartino, Stu Kandel, Mark Yetman, Arlene Ainbinder Lynn, Emily Kleinman Schreiber, and Dennis and Paul's wives, Julie and Pina.  There were also plenty of family members and friends, including Robin's son, Jordan, her daughter, Lindsey and her husband, and Robin's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.  The rabbi was good and thoughtful.

    Afterwards, eight of us went out to lunch and talked about Robin.  I asked people to write some of what they'd said, and here it is.  Other friends of Robin's also heard about her death and have written, too.

 

From Dennis:  Robin fought a four-year battle against ovarian cancer, but on Sunday, June 23, she just couldn’t fight anymore.  Robin and I weren’t what you would call friends in high school, but we met again during our 37^threunion and developed a friendship that grew stronger over the years.

    I feel fortunate that I was able to be there for her during her long, hard fight.  Robin was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.  She was always willing to lend a hand and help someone who was in need.  She always had a smile on her face, and I will never forget her contagious laugh.

    I will truly miss her.  Rest in peace, Robin.

 

From Linda:  Our friend, Robin, has died after a brave, and I use that word specifically, four-year battle with ovarian cancer.  Robin always liked to joke that she had a little fight/Feit in her.  She had a circle of very good friends around her, and one of them said, "I always felt like I was Robin's best friend, but I think she made us all feel that way."  At the funeral, the rabbi said that she was a sweet, loving woman, and that was true, but what he didn't say was that she had a wicked sense of humor and that she loved to laugh.
    I will miss our lunches, our phone conversations, and our laughter.  Rest in peace, Robin.

 

From Ellen Epstein Silver:  I met Robin in the second grade, and we lived around the corner from each other.  We were always friends in school but lost contact after graduating from South as we all went our separate ways.  After our 37th reunion, we renewed our friendship, and we were in each other’s lives again.

    Robin had a way of making me feel so special.  She was so interested in and supportive of all that was happening in my life, and she was there for me in my time of need when I was having a family crisis.  When she became ill a few years ago, I tried to do the same for her.  She was always upbeat and insisted that things were going well, and then the cancer came back.

    Robin was so supportive of renewing friendships and attending mini-reunions whenever there was a gathering of classmates.  She just enjoyed life and was always so much fun to be around.  She was taken too soon from us, but I hold wonderful memories of a woman who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.   May she rest in peace.

 

From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  You ask us to write something about Robin, and the words are there but still obliterated by tears and a heart that is hurting.  Robin wasn’t the kind of person or friend who was ever a few sentences in shared memory.  Instead, I can laughingly say, she corrected my singing of “Oh, A Tree In Motion,” gave me IFIC buttons, cut school and went to the World's Fair with me, went on midnight adventures to an Orlando Wal-Mart for things ladies don’t discuss here or anywhere, supported me when my son married the wrong girl with a ready Martini at the end of the wedding aisle, cried on each other’s shoulders during our own break-ups, shared her home, her life, and all her secrets with me as sisters, had a sweetness and zest for life that ended too early and so sadly, and now all I have is a part of her that is forever with me in my heart.

 

From Eric Hilton:  I can’t tell you how distraught my wife and I were after receiving the news that Robin had passed away.  She was so special to us, and we had no idea that she was ill.

    I didn’t know Robin well at South, except as one of the hot-looking girls -- and there were many.  We got reintroduced at one of the class of '65 reunions, and we instantly bonded and became close friends.

    Robin was such a sweet person, and she insisted that any time my wife and I were visiting from Florida, we had to stay at her home, and she even got us a car to use.  The more we saw her, the closer we became.  Not only was she still a beautiful woman, but she was so much fun to be around.

    We will miss her dearly.  Arlene sent us the group photo from the restaurant after Robin’s funeral, and we were so sorry that we were not able to attend the service and join you.

 

From Robert Fiveson:  A few words on the passage of Robin.  Nothing could be sadder for me.  I have loved her since age 14 when she told me we could be boyfriend and girlfriend if I got Bs on my report card.  I never did, but a few years before the 37th reunion, I wrote her out of the blue and told her that she had served as an inspiration for my life and any accomplishments or achievements I may have attained.... because I actually did spend my life trying to be good enough to win her heart.  That e-mail allowed me to get to know Robin the woman - and what a woman she became!  Never have I met anyone smarter, funnier, more tasteful, kind, thoughtful - or cute.  She literally defined my idea of beauty as a man.  I never heard her say a harsh word or unkind thing about anyone - even when I knew she could.  She was very fond of quoting her grandmother, who must have been very wise because Robin was - profound.  I spoke with her two weeks before she passed.  As usual, she was optimistic and upbeat - even as she hid her struggle from most of the world.  We told each other that we loved each other - but there was something different in the way she said it, and I took note.  I now realize she was actually saying goodbye.  Her giggle was like a precious silver bell - which will resonate in my heart forever.

 

From Alan Finder:  Awful.  And then I'm at a loss for words.

 

From Peggy Galinger Meneker:  I remember going out to breakfast two reunions ago as part of a big group and enjoying speaking with Robin.  She was so beautiful, had so much energy, and was so excited about life.  Such very sad news.

 

From Marc Jonas:  I was so sorry to hear about Robin.  Attached is a photo I found, circa 1962.

 

[Rich -- I'm sending this photo to Stu Borman and asking him to post it on the class site.  It will probably be in Marc's album.  If anyone else would like to write about Robin, or about Joanne DeGennaro, please send your notes to me.  Thanks.]

 

The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com

 

The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com / SouthHS65

 

 

Rich