Contributions to the tribute of Mildred Deutsch Marowitz

In loving memory of

Mildred

1922 - 2020

Mildred Deutsch Marowitz

In Loving Memory

1922 - 2020

Abby Rosenstein posted a condolence

Thursday, July 30, 2020

My Mom would be so embarrassed if she knew we were talking about her. That was not her style. As Mili once told me about flattery: ‘dish it but don’t eat it.’ The word ‘I’ was never one my mother used much. She wanted to know ‘What do you want?’ or ‘what will work for you?’ She didn’t complain or talk about herself much (except for the occasional low key brag about the accomplishments of a grand or great-grand. -- such as: my granddaughter is an emergency department doc; my grandson is an amazing athlete, my great granddaughter is on an award winning debate team; my great grandson plays the cello beautifully!) My daughter Alix said ‘she saw the best in everyone. She saw her great-grandkids misbehavior as "spunk" and turned it into a compliment.’ I never played Canasta with my mom but she enjoyed the game. She always played for high stakes -- a penny or a nickel a hand. She liked to win and I’ve heard she won a lot. I can tell you that she was great at word games like Scrabble because I’ve played -- and lost many a game to her. As grandson Zach Marowitz said about playing Scrabble with Mili: ‘To say she won each match handily would be greatly understating the crushing defeats we suffered! ‘ She loved her family and friends. Her kids, step-sons, grand and great grand kids, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews along with many other members of her extended family. As Naomi Marowitz said: ‘Mili never missed a birthday or Hanukkah, always sent me and Maddox cards and $ to celebrate. (I can barely remember my own birthday so it’s quite a feat at 98! )’ My sister, Marcia was a great help in finding the many many cards that Mili needed to accomplish this feat in the last several years! I think Marcia kept the dollar stores in business single handedly. She did like it when she was told that she looked great and much younger than her 90 odd years. Mili loved to look good. Both my sister and I remember the year our mom came to a parent back-to-school day when we were about eight and ten years old and quietly sat in the back of the room. She wore a bright blue coat with a matching fur collar. Her hair was a shiny auburn. Marcia remembers a kid saying 'Whose mom is that? She looks like a movie star!' As many of us can attest, she got even more attractive as she aged. It kind of softened her a bit. She had great skin, great bone structure, and knew just how to dress and apply her makeup. She never went out of the house or entertained guests without being dressed and looking her best. She loved to shop for clothes with friends whose taste she trusted -- Sally Blumberg or Marcia Ranart in particular. She was very careful that her clothes were washed in cool water with matching colors just like it says on the label. (Something that not all of us do.) And then... she IRONED them. My sister tells me that she even ironed my dad’s underwear. (Not all of us can even find our irons. I think I have one collecting dust somewhere.) She loved to entertain family and friends. Norman Marowitz says that when his son Matt was about 4 years old, he said 'I like to go to Grandma Mili's house. She always has fruit.' Mili always cut up and put out bowls of fresh fruit whenever she had company. She was a very good cook. Before my Dad retired from his Kosher meat business in Plainfield, NJ, she worked with him answering the phone and taking orders in the store. Customers often asked for recipes. If she didn’t know how to make something, she made up recipes on the spot. People invariably came back to tell her how good they were. She was also a great baker. She often made apple cake and sour cream cake for my brother-in-law Fred’s deli in Hilsborough. I think the real secret of Mili’s longevity was curiosity. The phone was her lifeline. She talked to friends for hours a day. She was a great conversationalist and more than that she was a great friend. She always wanted to know what was going on in everyone’s life and what challenges they faced. ‘How are you doing? How are your kids?’ Mili loved people and they returned the favor. As her very dear friend Sally Blumberg said on more than one occasion, ‘Mili loves everyone’. It wasn’t that Mili didn’t see flaws in others. It was more that she could forgive most things and saw the good in people. I think Mili stayed alive until 98 so that she could hear the next installment.