Rabbi Stanley Kazin's comments about Mom (Shirley)

We buried Mom yesterday. She died December 10, 2008 at age 83. The rabbi, Stanley Kazin, told all of us at the service how Shirley asked him to lead at her funeral twenty years ago. He was the rabbi in residence at Lutheran General Hospital. Mom was in for a heart bypass. He gave her back everything she gave him. They hit it off right away. As Stanley said, "You always knew where you stood with Shirley. And she took it as well as she gave it."

During one of her other visits as a patient, Mom spoke to him (paraphrased):

Mom: "Rabbi, I want you to speak at my funeral when it happens."

Stanley: "Shirley, you're only 62. You're young. You're going to live a long, long time."

Mom: "That's ok. But I really like you as a rabbi and a person. You're now my rabbi and I want to you to be the one that speaks."

Stanley: "Ok if that's what you want, I'll do it. But I'll probably die before you, so when I do, you can follow me up to heaven and speak to me there."

Mom: "Don't worry. I don't like you that much."

They saw each other many times over the years as Mom fought Parkinson's disease for 14 years. Bill, Mike, and Cliff met Stanley as well during that time.

Thank you Stanley. All of us really appreciated everything you did and said. It was the most heart-felt service any of us have ever been to.