Charlotte Hyman March 3, 1927 -- April 30, 2019 I was fortunate to have her in my life for 65 years but until her death on April 30, 2019, I could not imagine her not being a phone call away. But when there is no one left on earth to love you quite as unconditionally, like a mother, it is a new level of loneliness. No matter how wonderful your life is or how many great friends and relatives you have, losing your mother is a lonely feeling. A great parent does a great deal more than provide you with proper values and behaviors. A great parent is a miracle worker who teaches by example. My mother was always a great example for her children and all who knew her. She took happiness and optimism to the highest of levels. Life was too precious in her eyes to live it any other way. Charlotte Hyman lived her life on her own terms. It was easy for her. She only had to work for a total of two years in her adult life. She spent the rest of her time on her children, husbands, her home, golf, shopping, lunch, and gossip. It was a charmed life from Fair Lawn, NJ, to Boca Raton, FL. She was a great friend to so many people who stayed in her life for 50 or even 60 plus years. Her best friends were Mimi Marks-Krovetz and Blanch White. They all lived within blocks of each other with children the same ages. Mimi and Blanch were in her life for over 65 years and she cherished both of them. Her other great friendship was my cousin Stephanie. She always said Stephanie was more like a sister. Stephanie told me she saw my mother as more like a mother. I don’t know if there is a difference in the semantics, but they had fun together and loved each other very much. Toward the end, Stephanie took great care of Mom whenever she was in Florida. She visited often and took care of her needs just as a daughter would. Mom felt such comfort around my cousin who brought her great happiness throughout their relationship. She was the light of my life in so many ways. She inspired me to be the best person I could be. Sometimes it was painful as I endured her lectures. I can still hear her in my head when I encounter a situation which requires her direction. We talked coast-to-coast often on the phone as we were way too far apart. We loved to talk about our golf games. We shared a passion for the sport over the last 20 years. She was so proud of her game as was I. She was delighted to listen to my stories. The most fun I had with her was visiting Florida. We always managed to play two rounds of golf together. We would share a cart and talk all day about everything in our lives. She was always prepared to offer sound golf advice which helped me relax and enjoy the game. She was always right. She was the only person I played with who would tell me what I am doing wrong and when I did it right. Playing golf with Mom was always the most fun I ever had with the game. She made everything fun. Charlotte was stylish. Her home was always modern and beautiful and not to mention comfortable. She dressed more modern and tastefully than most younger women. She was a fashion plate in most moments. She was especially noticeable when she made her own dresses for fancy affairs. My father must have been frustrated when all his friends wanted to dance with her. She had many admirers. I recall many teachers remark to me how attractive she was the day after a parent-teacher conference. I did not really understand it much in my formative years but as I look back, they were right. Glamour and charm never escaped her. She was always at her best and I was always so proud to be her son. I had two brothers who unfortunately passed away before her. They had similar history with Mom and loved and admired her as much as I did. We all were very close with her and she loved us all very much. She was so proud of us as well. She raised three fine men who were all high- quality people. Not to take anything away from my two wonderful brothers, but my mother and I shared a closer relationship. We were so much alike. We lived our lives in very similar ways and shared many common interests. Our life priorities as well as our passions were similar. We understood each other very clearly. People even told us we look alike. Whatever it was, we were made from the same formula. Spencer and Rick had a great deal in common with each other and they were very close. I was always the different brother who lived on the west coast. I am sure they thought I was a little weird, but they loved me anyway. My Three Sons. Mom had three marriages with no divorces. My father died of cancer when I was still in high school. Knowing how close I was with my Dad, she promised me we would be as well. I did not know how she would manage that given my father’s passion for sports and how much time we spent together. To her credit, she did find a way to reach me and we were like best friends. As time wore on, we got even closer. She married Gilbert Brooks a few years after my father passed. That was the passionate romance of her life. They were great together and shared a wonderful life until he died suddenly of a heart attack on the way to playing golf with friends. Mom reserved a special place in her heart for Gil. I believe Mom would still be playing golf today if it had not been for two strangers in gas station. She asked both employees if they would help her put air in her tires. They both refused. I can’t imagine why but they did. Mom could not imagine why two able-bodied young men would not help an 89-year-old woman put air in her tires and got very frustrated. She stormed back to her car and did not notice the curb. She fell and literally broke half her body. This was the beginning of the end for Mom. I don’t know who those two men were or why they would not help her, but I will hate them for the rest of my life. She spent the next two years making the best of it with a walker. She worked so hard to learn to walk on her own again, but it never happened. Then she had her third stroke on September 2, 2018, and she never stood up on her own again. She never complained. She never gave up hope and worked very hard to get back on her walker again. She had that hope of making a recovery right up until her death on April 30, 2019. My wife Debbie and I were at her side. She was unconscious for the last two days of her life. On her last day at the Hospice care center, she regained consciousness long enough to recognize Debbie. She smiled and called her name showing delight in seeing her. Then she turned to me and said, “I love you.” I love you too, Mom. Although losing my mother after 65 glorious years, I will find it hard to determine the best way to remember her. Remembering her in all of her glory gives my heart flight right along with hers. Four generations of the Kass family.