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Ursula Hirschfeld Poland
June 11 1922 - October 5, 2009
My mother's mother was a great survivor. She grew up in Germany; her mother sent her to boarding school in England just before World War II. When Ursel read the headlines of Kristallnacht, she begged the parents of school friends to sponsor her mother so she could leave Germany: so a family that couldn't afford a cook hired a woman who didn't know how to cook and thereby probably saved her life.
Ursel outlived two husbands, and survived breast cancer and lung cancer. She kept in touch with more friends and family than anyone else I know.
One of her great joys in life was travel. Last month, she and her "special friend" Raymond (that's how she described him in the obituary she wrote for herself) spent three weeks in a borrowed flat in London, entertaining all the friends and family she still has there.
I will remember Ursel best across the Scrabble board from me. We were a good match -- there was no telling when we started a game who might win. When I picture her, I see her flourish her wrist and tap the tip of her middle finger on each tile to click it into place on the plastic board as she counts up her points. Then she withdraws her hand and picks up the cross-stitch or knitting project she works on while it's my turn.
She left several unfinished craft projects, and Tuesday morning found me and my aunt sitting side-by-side on the sofa working on these: an cross-stitched nametag for a friend to wear at their Unitarian Society, and a knitted scarf to donate to the Society's holiday fund-raising sale.
One of the great legacies Ursel imparted to us (my mom, my aunt, and myself) was a propensity for enjoying life. It has been good to visit with the family these past few days, telling stories and even laughing together. I kept finding myself thinking, we're having such a nice visit, it's too bad Ursel couldn't be here to enjoy it with us.
There will be a memorial service in November, and next summer we will scatter her ashes off the coast of Maine -- her wish, so she can be close to both my grandfather, who was buried in London, and my step-grandfather, in Maine.
My mother's mother was a great survivor. She grew up in Germany; her mother sent her to boarding school in England just before World War II. When Ursel read the headlines of Kristallnacht, she begged the parents of school friends to sponsor her mother so she could leave Germany: so a family that couldn't afford a cook hired a woman who didn't know how to cook and thereby probably saved her life.
Ursel outlived two husbands, and survived breast cancer and lung cancer. She kept in touch with more friends and family than anyone else I know.
One of her great joys in life was travel. Last month, she and her "special friend" Raymond (that's how she described him in the obituary she wrote for herself) spent three weeks in a borrowed flat in London, entertaining all the friends and family she still has there.
I will remember Ursel best across the Scrabble board from me. We were a good match -- there was no telling when we started a game who might win. When I picture her, I see her flourish her wrist and tap the tip of her middle finger on each tile to click it into place on the plastic board as she counts up her points. Then she withdraws her hand and picks up the cross-stitch or knitting project she works on while it's my turn.
She left several unfinished craft projects, and Tuesday morning found me and my aunt sitting side-by-side on the sofa working on these: an cross-stitched nametag for a friend to wear at their Unitarian Society, and a knitted scarf to donate to the Society's holiday fund-raising sale.
One of the great legacies Ursel imparted to us (my mom, my aunt, and myself) was a propensity for enjoying life. It has been good to visit with the family these past few days, telling stories and even laughing together. I kept finding myself thinking, we're having such a nice visit, it's too bad Ursel couldn't be here to enjoy it with us.
There will be a memorial service in November, and next summer we will scatter her ashes off the coast of Maine -- her wish, so she can be close to both my grandfather, who was buried in London, and my step-grandfather, in Maine.
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Thank you for sharing what an incredible person she was and how lucky you were to have so long to enjoy one-another's company!
And, of course, if there is anything that any of us can do for you and your family, please let us know.
Thinking of y'all...
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It feels good to tell people about who she was, it makes me feel like I'm honoring her memory by introducing her to my friends.
My condolences
Re: My condolences
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Thank you for sharing part of her with us.
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Be well. Peace be with you and your family.
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My favourite parts? That she wrote her own obituary (go girl!). Also that she left unfinished crafty projects for you guys to complete. What a fabulous way to reinforce/strengthen your connections with her. I think I'm going to try to do that myself, if I'm in a position to.
::hugs you quietly::
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She sounds like a wonderful woman, and a great presence in your life that will not be lost.
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Ursel sounds like a really cool person; you did a really nice job of capturing the feel of what she was like and your relationship with her in a few short paragraphs. It made me want to write something about my grandparents, to ensure that my memories of them stay fresh.
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*many hugs* from both of us. Thank you for sharing what a special and wonderful woman she was.
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I'm working on one of my mother's last knitting projects... it's getting close to being finished. This feels both right and sad...
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My condolences on your loss
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