In Memory

Phoebe Fabricant (Goldman)

Phoebe Fabricant (Goldman)

Date of death:  April 6, 2006

Age:  64

Phoebe's life:  She taught art for 27 years before retiring.  She was also a talented musician and played bass in the North Suburban Symphony orchestra.  Survivors include her husband Norman, son Neal and three grandchildren.

 



 
go to bottom 
  Post Comment

02/03/09 11:36 AM #1    

Sandy Looney (Maun)

My memories of Phoebe are that even in high school she was lovely and gracious and friendly. I am pleased to read that she had art, music and a loving family too.

03/03/09 02:59 PM #2    

Greta Goldt (Lee-Hershinow)

Phoebe and I had a wonderful friendship and I treasure knowing her. Her love of art entered into many discussions. I loved going to Phoebe's home and we spent many hours there.
Her health suffered for many years and I never once heard her complain. I am certain that everyone that had the privilege of knowing her loved her as much as I did. She had a beautiful son and daughter-in-law and her grandchildren brought her much joy. She had a beautiful marriage with her husband, Norman, and it was a treasure in her life.
I had surgery on my knees and Phoebe came to the hospital with a gift intow to visit me and I know it was no easy task for her---but that was Phoebe, a wonderful friend to the end. I miss her.

Greta Goldt Hershinow

03/05/09 07:45 PM #3    

George Harmon

This is from Judy Harmon (George Harmon's wife)

I had the pleasure of teaching with Phoebe for at least five school years at Red Oak School in Highland Park. She had taught art for many years in District 111 and when the three Highland Park School Districts merged in 1991 Phoebe came to Red Oak to teach the art classes. I always thought she enjoyed my 7-year-old first-graders because we had lots of fun planning activities. Teaching art in a grade school might be the very hardest job in the school. In a 45-minute or 60-minute period (for older children) Phoebe had to introduce the project, teach how to do it, pass out all the materials, somehow have the children work quickly enough to finish or at least start the job, collect the work, arrange to have the room spotless and then be ready to start again in another few minutes. Phoebe did this with great composure and with a style only matched by other very, very professional teachers. I enjoyed working with her and I thought of her as a good friend.




03/29/09 02:17 PM #4    

Nancy Bilow (Paul)

Phoebe was a wonderful, caring, considerate friend. She loved her family, especially lighting up when talking about her grandchildren. She was a talented musician, playing in orchestras since grammar school. She taught art for many years and always enjoyed art related programs, exhibits and classes. She had a great sense of adventure, traveling all over the world on trips she loved planning. She was always ready to go out to lunch, to an art show, shopping or on a trip to an art gallery or museum. She was great company and always fun to be with. She never complained when she was ill and took everything in stride. She has been greatly missed.

06/20/09 02:47 PM #5    

Carol Gould (Weiss)

Phoebe was my first friend when I moved to HP in April of 7th grade. She introduced herself, introduced me to others and I had a new set of friends.

I loved sleeping over at her home when we were kids. She had a great big old home with a million bedrooms in my young eyes. She had green canopies over the twin beds in her room. We used to giggle and talk about boys until late into the night.

When we walked home from high school(because we would NEVER take the bus) it was fun to be with Phoebe. We would stop at Starrs in HP for something to eat and invariably we got a ride home from one of the upperclassmen thanks to her.

As a young girl still in college she lost both of her parents several years apart from one another. She had a cousin, Aunt and Grandma who lived in NY but she refused to leave HP. My parents offered her a home with us and she did not accept that either. She rented rooms to college students and made use of that large home with a million bedrooms. I can not imagine a 20 year old with such courage and strength.

She was a bridesmaid at our wedding and we hept in touch through the years. Her son Neal and our daughter Andrea were born 6 months apart. We would go to parks, walks and the children attended each other's birthday parties for years.

She came to my mom's funeral in 1990 and then came to visit me the next day to tell me she had been diagnosed with cancer. She was stoic. I cried.

Steve and I attended Neal's wedding. He coincidentally married the daughter of our close friends from HP who lived on Beech Street in between Phoebe and my home.

Norm told me that when her doctor finally told her she had a very short time left to live, she asked him to drive her around Chicago and HP She picked certain streets and houses telling Norm who lived in them when she was growing up.

I felt like I failed her the last year or two of her life by not being the friend I could have been. I know she understood. She was a special woman with the rare gifts of talent, generosity, sensitivity and a fierce loyalty to HP and to her many friends. Above all during all the crises of her life, I never heard her complain. When I asked how she was feeling, she always turned the subject around. How are you doing? How are your kids? That was Phoebe. I miss her greatly.

Carol Gould Weiss

go to top 
  Post Comment