Miriam Freilich Farber

Miriam was that kind of person who provided a good home life filled with rich Jewish Traditions, roots and stability. She was that “Woman of Valor” (taken from Proverbs, 31).

A woman of valor who can find?

Her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband trusteth in her,

And he shall have no lack of gain.

She doeth him good and not evil

All the days of her life

She looketh well to the ways of her household,

And eateth not the bread of idleness.

She giveth food to her household

And a portion for her maidens,

Strength and dignity are her clothing

And she laugheth at the time to come.

She stretheth out her hand to the poor

Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy

She openeth her mouth with wisdom,

And the law of lovingkindness is on her tongue.

Her children rise up and call her blessed,

Her husband also, and he praiseth her:

“Many daughters have done worthily,

But thou excellest them all.”

Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain

But a woman that revereth the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

And let her works praise her in the gates.

As a child of the Holocaust, Miriam’s story began with her parents luckily surviving the Second World War and in 1947 while traveling by foot from Poland to their anticipated home in Israel, Miriam was born in an Embarkation Camp located in Torino, Italy. Her story was very similar to the movie “Exodus” except Miriam and her parents were on the boat Kadima, which in Hebrew means “to go forward” finally arriving in the small town of Herzlia. There, Miriam found the joy of many friendships during her child hood that even remain today. She was a very compassionate person, full of energy and whenever she would take a picture, she would enter into her favorite pose of a ballerina. After high school, she entered the Israeli Army where she taught Hebrew to illiterate immigrants. After the military, Miriam enrolled in the Teachers School where she learned English, even though she already spoke English quite well. She just loved the English language. She met her husband Joel when he was traveling to Israel, and they were married and then six months later we relocated to Salt Lake City where their first child Dorone was born. In 1975, they moved to Clear Lake City where Allon was born and it was here that they stayed and would call home.

Miriam was an excellent cook of all nationalities whether it be Chinese, Italian or of course, great Jewish food like Chicken Soup with lokshen. She even played golf and was quite good but she found the sport extremely frustrating. Miriam was also an accomplished reader where she joined friends establishing a Jewish Book Club. Everything Miriam did, she took it seriously. While reading, she would take numerous pages of notes, in order to be ready to discuss the book of the month in great detail.

Every Monday, Miriam looked forward to play in her weekly Maj Jong game at Pappas Seafood Restaurant. It seemed each week she would tell me she didn’t Maj because she didn’t get any jokers. But she loved to play with her friends.

Friendships were many. Everyone adored Miriam. When you were Miriam’s friend, and you asked for her opinion, she would tell you the truth whether it was good or bad-would hurt your feelings or not. That was who Miriam was.

Miriam joined the work force in 1978, where she started as a part-time employee working for Sears at Baybrook Mall. This is where she found her calling for 28 years. For several years, she was the top appliance salesperson selling over $1 Million per year for which she received several awards.

Miriam was first diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in January 2020. She was stoic in her fight with this horrible disease. She was a fighter-who fought through several treatments of chemotherapy, radiation and miscellaneous hospitalizations while never complaining.

The family would like to extend the appreciation to Jerry and especially to Sharon Mendelson for communicating Miriam’s overall condition to all of her friends. Miriam considered Sharon her best friend and Jerry was considered her local brother, who spoke Yiddish with her.

Miriam is survived by her husband, Joel and two sons, Dorone and Allon and his wife Jennifer and Sister-in-law, Ilene; three grandchildren Micayla, Noah and Isabella and Miriam’s Israeli family including her brother, Simcha and his wife Aliza, along with numerous nephews and their children throughout Israel.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Miriam’s name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Miriam will be laid to rest in The Jewish Section of Forest Park East Cemetery on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 1:00 pm. The service can also be viewed on the Levy Funeral Directors page on Facebook at that time and after the service.