Fagel Herbstman, zichrona livracha

1922-2015

Fagel was... a powerhouse.  I didn't know her well, but she, her sister Ethel and my grandmother were  first cousins, and as intertwined as the three wicks of a Havdallah candle.  The matriarch of that side of the family, she always made me feel welcome whenever I went to Chicago, and she and my mother were very close.  

She was the connection to history past and present: she regularly sent over checks to my grandmother in gratitude for Savta's father, who had brought over Fagel's father and the rest of the family from Russia.  

My own mother uses the name "Bubby" with my kids because that's what Fagel's grandchildren call her.  My mom wasn't fond of her own Bubby, and once swore that she would never use that name for herself when I had kids.  She changed her mind when she realized that Fagel was the quintessential Bubby, who exemplified what the term should be, and she wanted to follow her example.

I will miss her laughter and her open arms, always.