Violet Shakeredge Meir

Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1934, she lived there with her parents and nine siblings until the age of fourteen. In 1948, she was shepherded by family friends in the middle of the night to board a cargo plane, and successfully escaped from Iraq to Israel through the Youth Aliyah Child Rescue program. She lived there for two years in a kibbutz amidst orange groves planted by Youth Aliyah pioneers, and then emigrated to the United States to join her eldest sister and husband in New York City. It was there that she met Ezra Meir, her now deceased husband of 52 years, and they settled happily in Durham, North Carolina in 1955 and then moved to Raleigh in 1958 where she has resided since.

Violet devoted herself to her husband, to lovingly raising four children, to cherishing seven grandchildren and to creating a warm and inviting home for her family and friends. She was a talented cook who produced authentic Middle-Eastern dishes inspired by her Iraqi heritage. These delicacies were a hallmark of family gatherings, and her recipes are cherished by all who came to experience her cooking and her exceptional hospitality.

An avid and tenacious tennis player, she played competitively for many years in USTA leagues with a group of women with whom she made lifelong friendships. She also baked baklava and other pastries for her international tea club and often served tea for her wide circle of friends and for her family.

Violet was well known for her sense of humor, her quick wit, and her open and generous heart. To know her was to love her and to be inspired by her beauty, her warmth, her kindness, her graceful manner and her charm.

Her favorite magazine was Vogue, and she would often peruse the pages in search of new and interesting fashion ideas and looks which she then replicated, always with her own creative flair. In her 20’s and 30’s, she adored her Singer sewing machine, and created simple, elegant fashions for herself that won local acclaim. Over the years, Violet volunteered for The American Red Cross and was active in her local Sisterhood and Hadassah organizations, always caring for others in kind and generous ways.

Violet is survived by her children, their spouses and her grandchildren; daughter Laurene and Scott Sperling of Wayland, MA and their children Michael and wife Rachel, Jennifer, Zachary and Melanie; son Joseph and Karen Meir of Raleigh and their children Marissa, Rick and Brad; son Albert Meir of Raleigh and son Victor Meir of Raleigh. In addition she is survived by sisters Esperence Levy and Rachel Shakeredge of NY, Segal Balass of Israel, Suham Akka of England and Susan Cohn of Illinois as well as brothers Abe Shakeredge of NY and Isaac Shakeredge of Nevada, and her husband’s adoring and extended family in Israel.

Violet received loving assistance from many caring people during her tenure at The Rosewood and The Cypress of Raleigh, and her family expresses their deepest gratitude for their care, their love, and their compassion.

A funeral service will be held at Beth Meyer Synagogue, 504 Newton Road, Raleigh, on Sunday, September 15 at noon. Burial will follow immediately at Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery, 450 N. State Street, Raleigh. The family will receive guests on Sunday evening at The Cypress of Raleigh Clubhouse, 8801 Cypress Lakes Drive, Raleigh from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Beth Meyer Synagogue, 504 Newton Road, Raleigh, NC 27615 or to Duke University Medical Center Development, Department of Neurology, 512 S. Magnum Street, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701-3973.

“Strength and honor are her clothing and she shall rejoice in the time to come.” Proverbs 31