Sorry I could not be at the funeral.  I was in Croatia with only an iPhone for typing and my Aunt Mildred is too big a topic for my ability to do that much typing on such a small iPhone machine.  Aunt Mildred was a complex, grand lady who was most passionate about the welfare  and happiness of her family, her immediate family in particular, even though she put her whole heart into work for the  American Jewish Congress and for liberal causes.

For me, her niece, Aunt Mildred was bigger and stronger and more glamorous than anyone I have ever known.  That's why it came as a surprise even though she was 102 years old that she is no longer with us.  It is with great sorrow that I write these words.  

Barry, my husband, who died too soon, will now have that dance that he regretted not having with Mildred during her lifetime.

I love you Aunt Mildred.

Joyce

Michael's Facebook Post from June 30th - How is it that I felt a deep sadness tonight and i did not know the news? A spirit friend, a woman whose fiercely Independent spirit illuminated those around her. A yogi before it was hip. A global traveler. An organizer and a vociferous advocate for social justice and healthy eating has passed. She reminded me to ask for help without shame because indeed we all need each other. Mildred Epstein at 102, my Great Grandma and last surviving grandparent, will be missed. I give love to all of my family now, especially uncle Brian Shawe and aunt Patrice Shawe.

One of My Favorite Articles my Grandmother Wrote about my Grandfather Murray Newman - April 4, 1993 By MILDRED N. EPSTEIN, Special to the Sun-Sentinel (You are invited to share memories of your favorite car. Write: My Favorite Car, Sun-Sentinel, 324 Datura St., Suite 150, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33401.)

Studebaker Always Shined No Future Luxury Car Could Match It For Romance

"At about the time the Great Depression was beginning to hit, my young man would come calling on me driving his coffee-colored Studebaker.

Before each date, he washed and polished the car until it shone like a mirror. Then the effects of the Depression began to hit his father`s candy factory, and it was forced to close its doors. Murray, a salesman extraordinaire, was out of a job.

But he still held onto his car. He was so proud of it, and loved and nurtured it, even when he barely had money for gas.

Early in our courtship, Murray tried to impress my parents by taking them for a ride in the Studebaker. It didn`t work. They were not impressed.

I remember that shiny car with Murray at the wheel waiting for me when I left work. The vision of him and that shiny car is still fresh in my memory today.

On our dates, as the Depression continued, we would drive and drive, or just park and gaze at the moon or each other, and hope for a brighter future.

The future did get brighter as our life together spanned the years.

Murray is gone now, but I still have my memories. Over the years, we owned many luxury cars, but none had the romance of Murray`s beautiful coffee- colored Studebaker."

-- By the time the Depression hit, Studebaker was already approaching its seventh decade of business. At the time, it was the country`s oldest manufacturer of wheeled vehicles, but ironically, a relative latecomer as a conventional car builder.

It was not until 1911 that the first gas-powered Studebakers were built, replacing the electric cars that the company started building in 1902.

By the 1930s, the company already had seen its ups and downs, including the acquisition of Pierce-Arrow a few years earlier.

While successful in races at Indianapolis in the early 1930s, the company went into receivership in 1933.

Through heads-up marketing and design, Studebaker was able to recover enough to survive through the 1950s before stopping production in 1962 as the Studebaker-Packard Corp.

-- Mildred Newman Epstein lives in Boca Raton.

Sending my love and condolences to you and your family Brian. Your grandma was a sweet and special lady. Hugs to you all.

Dear Aunt Mildred I am so glad I got to spend some quality time with u in November hope u get to see my dad and tell Lolly how much he is missed love u Dara

OBITUARY

Mildred Newman Epstein

January 15, 1912 – June 30, 2014

I. J. Morris

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