'Aunt Blossom' - A Tribute To Blossom Klass,Mindy Rosenthal

Everyone knew Blossom. She was like Cher or Oprah, a unique and large personality who was known by first name only. The polar opposite of a social snob, she was happy to be friends with anyone who wanted to befriend her - from teenagers to the elderly, from the wealthy to the downtrodden. At every hotel she visited, she made it her business to know the waiters' names and to chat with them. Her accumulation of friends and acquaintances spanned her lifetime and she cherished them all.

From her childhood in Brighton, her married and widowed years in Flatbush, winters in Miami Beach, summers and yamim tovim at the Homowack, and Pesach at the Nevele - she would stop and be stopped and talk to everyone. I was always amazed.

I renewed a friendship with an old friend from elementary school at the Nevele - Blossom and her mother were bridesmaids at each other's weddings. And as Blossom got older (though her face and body never seemed to age), it seems that her new friends became younger.

This would not surprise anyone who knew her lively, fun and upbeat personality. She was so full of life, always ready with a joke. Throughout the painful two years of her illness, she never kvetched or complained. When I would call to ask how she was doing her response would be, "Let's not talk about me. Tell me about Josh and the kids."

Along with her outgoing personality, Blossom was "out there" in the community. She was extremely active, both physically (she was an avid swimmer and walker) and by her deeds and actions. Her volunteer involvement with her local police precinct was so highly appreciated, as evidenced by the police escort which accompanied her from the Brooklyn chapel to the cemetery in Queens.

Blossom also started as a volunteer at Community Hospital on Kings Highway and eventually became a board member. In addition, she was a community liaison to local politicians. I remember celebrating Blossom and Laibie's 20^th anniversary at a small family party in my in-law's home. A young newcomer to Brooklyn politics, whom Blossom had already contacted and befriended, stopped by to congratulate them. That young man is now the senior senator from New York - Charles Schumer.

The saddest day of Blossom's life was 11½ years ago when her beloved husband Lionel, our dear, dear Uncle Laibie, passed away. Throughout the years of her widowhood she had repeatedly said that she had no interest in remarrying because she already had married the best. Though, sadly, Blossom had no children of her own, she was well taken care of by the many young families on her block.

She would tell me about her standing invitations for her Shabbos and holiday meals. We thought that she may have been exaggerating so that we wouldn't feel sorry for her. Well, judging by the large turnout of Brooklyn people at the Queens cemetery on a Friday afternoon, she may have understated her popularity. Her wonderful friends and neighbors of all ages and many ethnicities joined her nieces, nephews and cousins to pay their final respects.

Since Blossom had no children and was an only child, there was, unfortunately, no one to sit shiva for her. But Hashem, in His wisdom and compassion, decided to take Blossom back on the fifth day of Av, so that Tisha B'Av fell within what would have been her shiva week. So as we, her family and friends, and the whole Klal Yisroel, sat on low chairs crying and mourning the Beis Hamikdash, we were also able to cry and mourn for Blossom.

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'Aunt Blossom' - A Tribute To Blossom Klass , Mindy Rosenthal

A Friend's Tribute to Blossom Klass
Date 06:08, 08-19, 11

What a lovely and touching tribute to your beloved Aunt Blossom. Every word rang so true; for to know Blossom was to love her. She was a sincere, kind, wonderfully compassionate and honorable woman. And yes, despite her illness, she never wanted to speak about herself and her hardships, rather she always asked me about "what's going on in politics?" And she would listen intently and make such profound comments.

I am one of the friends that Blossom "found" along the way. I joined her as first a member and than Vice President of the Community Advisory Council at New York Community Hospital. Our meetings were always wonderful, and informative run by Blossom. We not only learned about how the Hospital was an important part of our community, but also how we could spread the message. No meeting was complete without some of Blossom's jokes or cartoons.

And our friendship grew and there wasn't a week that went by that I did not call Blossom or stop by to see her. And her friendship meant more to me than mere words. When my own mother was critically ill at the Hospital, Blossom stopped by her room and brought a sense of peace and comfort to her and to me. She told my mother how proud she should be of her daughter and tears came to Mom's eyes and the two women nodded in unison and a smile came to my late mother's face. It is a memory that I will not soon forget.

The last few years were not easy fro Blossom, but she maintained her dignity and sense of respect for everyone to the very end. I visited Blossom a few days before her passing and sat with a most extraordinary woman. I knew that I was in the presence of a special person. And one by one friends from all aspects of her life came to spend a few minutes with their beloved Blossom.

Remembering Blossom reminds me of the words, "Blossom did not see things as they were and ask...Why...rather she dreamed about how things could be...and asked, 'Why not.." And it is our hope and mission and so many of Blossom's hopes and vision come to fruition.

G-d Bless the memory of a dear friend...to one and to all.

Sad news
Date 04:08, 08-22, 11

I had not seen her in a long time, but will always remember her fondly.

Jean-Pierre Seibel