Obituary for Elaine Brown (Gordon)
Elaine Brown, aka “Nana” to all who knew and loved her, passed away comfortably on Dec. 31st at 91 years old at the home of her daughter Stephanie Spiegel in Chappaqua.
She was born at Hunts Point Hospital on May 2, 1928 to Mary and Abraham Isaac Gordon, ne Mary Warschaw, and grew up on Macombs Road in the Bronx. After high school, Elaine registered for a nursing program but had to stop attending after becoming very ill with pneumonia. From there, she learned bookkeeping skills at her father’s coat manufacturing company in Manhattan and used them her entire life. She re-connected and married her childhood friend Samuel Brown on December 26th, 1948 during a snowstorm, where she had to take the subway to her own wedding, which she did with humor and calm.
Samuel and Elaine lived in Bayside, NY but eventually settled in Jericho, N.Y. They adopted two children, Owen and Stephanie, from the Louise Wise agency. After a long wait, becoming a mother twice was the thrill of Elaine’s life. Her children became the light of her world.
Elaine and Samuel were business partners always: first opening an insurance and real estate business together in Bayside, NY, then opening three card and gift shops on Long Island, and finally working together at the Center for Professional Development in New Jersey. Elaine who was sharp and competent became the head bookkeeper and helped open an office in Amsterdam. Eventually, she and Sam moved to Boca Raton to open a company office there. Once retired, they moved to Westchester, NY to be near their six grandchildren. Elaine lived with Sam in Old Farm Lake in Chappaqua, NY and after his passing, moved to Woodcrest Village in Mount Kisco, NY. She loved the community of people there and the friendships she made.
“Nana” mostly lived for her grandchildren Ben, Marissa, Michelle, Aimee, Andrew and Dylan. She played an integral part in every aspect of their lives, and they loved and worshipped her beyond words.
Elaine became an avid volunteer at both the JCCA’s Pleasantville Cottage School, working with abused and neglected children, and at Northern Westchester Hospital, where she worked in the cancer center, the gift shop, and eventually in the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) which she helped open. She loved giving of herself to others. Since she loved soup, she was beyond touched when the staff of the TCU threw her a party with all kinds of soups and labeled the party “To a Soup-er Volunteer.”
In her spare time, she enjoyed playing Words with Friends, reading books and The New York Times, watching Jeopardy and the news, discussing politics, and being on her phone and computer. Most of all, she loved texting, talking to and spending time with family, extended family and friends. She was also the “emoji” queen.
To know Elaine was to love her. People gravitated to her incredibly warmth, wit and caring nature. She was a role model of grace and dignity. And as her own doctor said to her caregiver before her passing, “you will never meet a finer woman.” She was strong, wise and the self proclaimed “every lasting optimist,” always looking to the bright side of life. “Nana” will be missed beyond measure by all who knew and loved her.
Thank you to Hospice of Westchester and Putnam and her end of life caregiver’s Doreen Scott and Josephine Petriello who took such wonderful care of her. Donations in her name are being accepted by the JCCA, 120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005 or on their website, www.jccany.org.
She was born at Hunts Point Hospital on May 2, 1928 to Mary and Abraham Isaac Gordon, ne Mary Warschaw, and grew up on Macombs Road in the Bronx. After high school, Elaine registered for a nursing program but had to stop attending after becoming very ill with pneumonia. From there, she learned bookkeeping skills at her father’s coat manufacturing company in Manhattan and used them her entire life. She re-connected and married her childhood friend Samuel Brown on December 26th, 1948 during a snowstorm, where she had to take the subway to her own wedding, which she did with humor and calm.
Samuel and Elaine lived in Bayside, NY but eventually settled in Jericho, N.Y. They adopted two children, Owen and Stephanie, from the Louise Wise agency. After a long wait, becoming a mother twice was the thrill of Elaine’s life. Her children became the light of her world.
Elaine and Samuel were business partners always: first opening an insurance and real estate business together in Bayside, NY, then opening three card and gift shops on Long Island, and finally working together at the Center for Professional Development in New Jersey. Elaine who was sharp and competent became the head bookkeeper and helped open an office in Amsterdam. Eventually, she and Sam moved to Boca Raton to open a company office there. Once retired, they moved to Westchester, NY to be near their six grandchildren. Elaine lived with Sam in Old Farm Lake in Chappaqua, NY and after his passing, moved to Woodcrest Village in Mount Kisco, NY. She loved the community of people there and the friendships she made.
“Nana” mostly lived for her grandchildren Ben, Marissa, Michelle, Aimee, Andrew and Dylan. She played an integral part in every aspect of their lives, and they loved and worshipped her beyond words.
Elaine became an avid volunteer at both the JCCA’s Pleasantville Cottage School, working with abused and neglected children, and at Northern Westchester Hospital, where she worked in the cancer center, the gift shop, and eventually in the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) which she helped open. She loved giving of herself to others. Since she loved soup, she was beyond touched when the staff of the TCU threw her a party with all kinds of soups and labeled the party “To a Soup-er Volunteer.”
In her spare time, she enjoyed playing Words with Friends, reading books and The New York Times, watching Jeopardy and the news, discussing politics, and being on her phone and computer. Most of all, she loved texting, talking to and spending time with family, extended family and friends. She was also the “emoji” queen.
To know Elaine was to love her. People gravitated to her incredibly warmth, wit and caring nature. She was a role model of grace and dignity. And as her own doctor said to her caregiver before her passing, “you will never meet a finer woman.” She was strong, wise and the self proclaimed “every lasting optimist,” always looking to the bright side of life. “Nana” will be missed beyond measure by all who knew and loved her.
Thank you to Hospice of Westchester and Putnam and her end of life caregiver’s Doreen Scott and Josephine Petriello who took such wonderful care of her. Donations in her name are being accepted by the JCCA, 120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005 or on their website, www.jccany.org.