She and her younger sister, Sheila, were the daughters of symphony and opera conductor Hermann Herz and his wife, Lotte Herz, who were from Germany and met in Johannesburg. In 1948, the family emigrated to the United States and arrived in New York. In the fall of 1950, when Hermann became music director of the Duluth Symphony, they moved to Duluth, MN, where she grew up and completed high school.
Evelyn moved to Boston in 1962 to attend Katharine Gibbs Executive Secretarial School for two years, then relocated to New York and worked as an Executive Secretary for Henningsen Foods and TWA Airlines.
She married the love of her life, real estate attorney Myron D. “Mike” Waxberg, on December 1, 1968, eight months after they met. They lived in Briarcliff Manor, NY and then Westfield, NJ, raising their sons, David and Greg. After Mike retired, they spent their winters with David in Phoenix, AZ to escape the cold and spend time with their two grandchildren. They briefly lived in Phoenix, but after Mike passed away in October 2017, Evelyn returned to Westfield, NJ and lived there until April 2024, when she moved to Somerville to be closer to Greg. Evelyn and Mike treasured their nearly 49 years of marriage, and Evelyn spent her life as a devoted wife, mother, sister, daughter, grandmother, and homemaker.
While growing up, Evelyn played the cello, part of a lifelong love of classical music and opera. For many years, she, Mike, and Greg attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and other venues. Evelyn cherished the fact that she was able to spend that time sharing music with them. She also spent years playing duplicate bridge and loved going on cruises.
She was predeceased by her husband, Mike, and sister, Sheila Wilensky (2015). Evelyn is survived by her sons, David Waxberg and his wife Rhonda Waxberg, and Greg Waxberg and his wife HeatherAnn Waxberg; her grandchildren (David’s children), Amanda Waxberg and Jason Waxberg; David’s former wife, Doris Waxberg; and close friends.
The family will receive guests on Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 10:15 AM to 10:45 AM at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Rd, Livingston, New Jersey 07039. A funeral service will occur at Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039. Entombment will follow at Sanctuary of Abraham and Sarah Mausoleum, 735 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652.
Contributions in Evelyn's memory may be made to The Parkinson's Foundation, www.parkinson.org; or Support the Met Broadcasts at The Metropolitan Opera, www.metopera.org/support/make-a-gift/support-the-met-broadcasts/.
SHARE OBITUARYSHARE
v.1.16.3