Eileen Berkowitz

Eileen G. Berkowitz, 93, passed away early October 1st at home, surrounded by her loving family. She was predeceased by the love of her life, Bob, to whom she was married for almost 70 years until his death in 2021. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother who was always there when we needed her, offering support, wisdom, and love in abundance.

Eileen was born on November 25, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio. During WWII, she won an award for a Victory Garden she grew as a school project and more importantly, which spurred her lifelong love for gardening. She attended Ohio State University where she met Bob and married him before he shipped out to Japan for service during the Korean War. They started their married life living in (and loving) Japan for the first 18 months.

They returned home from Japan and started a family. Over the years, the family grew to include many, many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She taught herself to sew as a child and in order to save money, she would sew her own clothes. Sewing later turned into a passion and she learned to make intricate doll clothes and would sell them to stores. These dolls, were so special that they, were passed down to her children and grandchildren. She was a world class seamstress and sewed her own clothes as wells as many of her daughters clothes.

Eileen left school to marry Bob but returned years later to earn a Bachelor’s degree, then went on to pursue a Master’s Degree at Columbia University. She taught math at Newark Academy in Livingston and later worked as a career counselor at B’nai B’rith Organization.

If something was broken, Eileen could fix it. Whether the basement needed to be finished, drywall installed, interiors designed, or total landscaping done, Eileen was on the job - and this was before there were YouTube tutorials. You could always find several screw drivers (Phillips head and flathead) and measuring tape in her pocketbook.

She was a master gardener. Her yards were always the envy of the neighborhood. As recently as a month before she passed, she wanted to go to the garden center to buy her hundreds of flowers for the Fall planting.

She and Bob had a full life together which included travel, golf, tennis, wonderful friends, laughter, and love. Her true happiness came from simpler things like spending time with family, doing jigsaw puzzles, dinners at home, and being with her true love, Bob. In her later years, she doted and heavily spoiled her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Eileen had a moral compass set true north. Her sense of fairness and right and wrong set an example for all of us when we didn’t even know we were learning a lesson. Doing the right thing was paramount to her essence.

Left behind are her daughters, Sherie Wolpert (Jesse), Carole Krinsky (Stu Slater), and her son Stuart Berkowitz (Irene). Grandchildren Becky Moffs (Andrew) Julie Mitz (Rory) Emily Bennett (Jason), Jake Wolpert (Lauren) Sam Wolpert, Ben Wolpert (Alexia Ciarfella), Alli Rubini (Leo), Lauren Krinsky, Josh Krinsky, and great grandchildren Matty, Dylan, Charlie, Lucas, Lily, Tyler, Ellie, Isaac, Hudson and Harrison and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service for Eileen will be held Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 10:45 AM at Sanctuary of Abraham and Sarah Mausoleum, Forest Ave, Emerson, NJ 07630. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at 11:45 AM at Beth - El Cemetery, Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652.