A Conversation with Sadie 100 Years, May 2004

This video was created by Shane Mecklenburger, shane [at] distillery.org

Sadie Kaplan Mindell Greenspon, 106 years of age, died Wednesday, September 9, 2009. She was born in Kiev, Russia in 1903, daughter of David Kaplan, and came to this country at the age of four. Sadie later became the oldest girl in a family of 12 children, most of whom she was called upon to care for. Her relief from household chores would be her love and passion for learning in school. In her advanced years of 100 plus, she would often perfectly recall songs and poems she had recited throughout her high school years. She was swept away by her husband, Jack Mindell, but soon realized that with a fledgling hardware business and with the birth of their only child, Robert, she had to operate on a strict budget of the Depression days. She would copy the styles shown in the G. Fox Department store and design and sew her own new clothes. Sadie sacrificed when her husband contracted leukemia at an early age and took the best care of him until the end. In better times they were able to enoy some winters in Florida and summers along along the Connecticut shoreline. When Bob went to college, Sadie decided to take up oil painting as a hobby. She became a very accomplished artist in still life and in portraiture, studying under Paul Zimmerman and other local artists. Left as a widow at the age of 54, Sadie learned how to financially run her household. She did however marry again, to Charles Greenspon, a long time friend of Jack and Sadie's; they enjoyed about 19 happy years together. They were able to travel abroad many times. Sadie was a member of the Emanuel Synagogue and Congregation Beth Israel. She was also an early life member of Brandeis University, Hadassah and the Hebrew Home, in which she established funding for the Sadie Greenspon Master Arts Class for the residents of the home. Sadie was a great cook; her pie crusts were exceptional. She enjoyed her card games at Tumble Brook and occasional jaunts to New York City Broadway Theatre. She loved to read all of the novels of Danielle Steel and Belva Plain, as they wrote stories which fit her personal philosophy of never reading any books, nor seeing any movies which contained violence. She looked at life through 'rose colored glasses' and this, along with her 'live and let live' philosophy, probably enabled her to achieve her long life of 106 years. Sadie is survived by her daughter-in-law Barbara Mindell, her grandchildren: JoAnn Eicher, her husband, Douglas Eicher, David Mindell, his wife, Amy Rubin Mindell, and Susan Mindell, and her friend, Katherine Wolf. She is also survived by her great grandchildren: Lauren, Julie and Hayley Eicher and Anna Mindell. In addition, Sadie is survived by her sister, Sue Hutensky, her brother, Seymour Kaplan, sister-in-law, Rhoda Kaplan, and her other brother, Everett Kaplan and sister-in-law, Rita Kaplan, and sister-in-law, Selma Kaplan. She also leaves many nieces and nephews, along with their children. Sadie was predeceased by her son, Robert Mindell, brothers: Buddy Kaplan, Samuel Kaplan, Eddie Kaplan, Maurice Kaplan, and Jack Kaplan, and by her sisters: Betty Katzman, Claire Geetter, and Adelaide Kalin. The family is eternally grateful to Anselma St. Martin, Frances, Mags, Shawnette, Flo and Mary for their loving care given to Sadie these past 6 years, thus enabling her to live out her life in her own home. If there is a lesson to be learned from Sadie's life, it is to eliminate stress, be flexible and understanding. She was a master of those virtues.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• born in Kiev
• Russia