Most Unforgettable Person #3: Thelma Bobrowitz

I was so very fortunate to have a Mother-in-law like mine. She was one of the most endearing people anyone could ever meet. We used to joke that ten people could ring her doorbell, and she would be able to feed them all a delicious meal in 30 minutes. She did everything with grace and dignity.

My mother-in-law was a concert pianist. I so admired her playing. She made the piano sing. I have an indelible memory of her playing her last concert. She was dressed in white and black, and with her white hair, she looked regal and polished. Most of her close friends were also in the musical field. Her best friend was a well-known mezzo-soprano at the Met. Of course, they were only concertizing for local organizations when I knew them.

She and I connected on so many levels. She taught me how to cook, gave me sage advice, and shared her wicked sense of humor. She introduced me to art and bought my very first painting for our new house.

She loved to garden and turned her backyard into a work of art. However, she contracted poison ivy year after year!

Travel was another great love of hers, and luckily, she had the opportunity to visit many places around the globe. As she became a little older, she said that her favorite place was her home, and it was a lovely home. We all used to think it was a large house, as we would all crowd into it every Thanksgiving. It was quite small, but everyone loved to be there.

She was eager to taste all the cuisines she would encounter on her travels, and she would try out her new recipes on us, her willing participants. Of course, she would whip up something just for you if you didn't like it.

On the day she died, she spoke to each of us privately, her children and grandchildren. My father-in-law was in total denial that she was so ill. He was never the same after she died. At her funeral, my husband played the tape of her playing a piece by Rachmaninoff, her favorite composer. I could listen to it over and over. Since she and I were February babies, I inherited her amethyst jewelry. It’s actually the only thing of hers I can wear! She was at least 5’8, probably taller, and I just make 5’. I think of her every time I wear one of those amethysts, cook one of her recipes or listen to piano music that she loved.

She was definitely one of my most unforgettable people.