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Hana Natasa
Ginzbarg, 88, passed away on Friday, October 18, 2013, in Houston, Texas. She was born in Prague, Czech Republic, on June 1, 1925 to Otto and Zdenka Sommer. She was preceded in death by her father, mother, brother, Ivan Sommer, and husband, Arthur Ginzbarg. Hana is survived by her son Steven Ginzbarg. Hana and her brother left Prague in 1939 on the last train arranged by British stockbroker Nicolas Winton carrying Jewish children to safety in England after the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. Her mother came to England later. The three made the dangerous crossing of the Atlantic in 1943 to New York. Hana met Arthur at Purdue University, Indiana where she was studying chemistry and he was studying physics. In 1949 the couple moved to Houston where Arthur took a job at the Shell Research Lab. Hana became interested in preserving Houston's bayous and became a member of the Buffalo Bayou Preservation Association. Her perseverance is responsible for the land acquisition and creation of Armand Bayou Nature Center, Clear Lake, Texas and later of the Nature Discovery Center, Bellaire, Texas where she served as a member of the board and a fundraiser until her death. A memorial service will take place at 1:00 PM on Sunday, November 10, at the University Chapel of the A.D. Bruce Religion Center, 3801 Cullen Blvd., Entrance 13, University of Houston and will be followed by a reception at the Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle, Bellaire.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Nature Discovery Center or the charitable organization of your choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Worked with her on Ross Pitman Park improvements. We had a fabulous trip together to High Island to watch the spring bird migration of Indigo Buntings the year before she died.
R Lee
Friend
October 16, 2020
Hana, miss her integrity, energy, altruism, selflessness especially now, with the lack these qualities in the White House.
R Michael Lee
Friend
October 16, 2019
I am so sorry for your loss. Please be comforted in knowing God cares for you and will help you in your time of need. 1 Pet. 5:7
November 10, 2013
Hannah was a force of nature and a lovely lady whose care and commitment to making the world a better place was evident to all. Thank you to her family, with a special thank you for sharing her with our Smith College sisters in Houston.
Christian Schley
November 4, 2013
Hana ginzbarg was one of the most remarkable women I've ever met. I' m so glad she came into my life but even more that she fell in love with Houston's natural resources. We are all richer for Hana having lived among us Brenda Beust Smith
Brenda Beust Smith
November 4, 2013
Hana was a good friend of my grandmother's. My grandmother adored and admired her. I know from my little glimpse of her life that she was an important friend and I am sad to learn of her passing. My condolences to all her family and friends.
Sara Coelho
November 3, 2013
Hana, was my mentor for many environmental preservation efforts over the past ten years. She was a true altruistic environmentalist and preservationist. The trip we took with my mother to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary on High Island is a great memory. We meet for dinner in August where she carefully described the Armond Bayou preservation story. Then later that evening we sat in her dining room. The table was carefully stacked with piles of papers, and files. She was busy composing her memories of the complex story that preserved Middle Bayou in Friendswood. She was looking forward to her son's upcoming visit to Houston, but was concerned about the piles of files carefully arranged on his bed. We agreed to go on a canoe trip down Armand Bayou this coming November…I am greatly sadden for her passing, but encouraged by her legacy, and grateful for the times we spent together.
R Michael Lee
October 28, 2013
I knew Hana for 32 years. She was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration to me in my life. She did not play games of power or politics, but always cut right to the point -- and she always made an impact for good, particularly when it came to preserving and enhancing our natural environment and helping others to appreciate it. "Leader" is insufficient to describe Hana. Her morality and ethics could not be compromised, and she fought the good fight with all her heart. I loved Hana, and she is as much a part of my life now, as when we worked together in the beginning years of the acquisition and completion of the Park that now houses the Hana and Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center. Hana is one of the greatest women I have ever known. Steven, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Rev. Cynthia Hinson
October 27, 2013
I only met Hana a couple of times,but would describe as a "force". What a dedicated woman. On a personal level, she and her son Steven attended a memorial for my mother several years ago. Hana didn't even know me or my mother and I have always appreciated that she took the time to express her condolences. The Bellaire Nature Center is a living testament to her convictions. She will be missed but remembered.
marsha hurwitz
October 27, 2013
Thank you Hana for your strong commitment to making the world better for our children.
Betty Polifka
October 27, 2013
Hana left things better than she found them. She was a persistent, beautiful, intelligent force of nature in her pursuit of the creation of Russ Pitman Park and the Hana and Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center. She did this in the face of the opposition from elected officials at Bellaire City Hall and developers. She is irreplaceable.
Cindy Gabriel
October 27, 2013
She touched my life. Thank you, Hana. Rest in peace.
October 24, 2013
Steven, you had a wonderful mother.
William Starek
October 24, 2013
Our cousin Hana was a strong, vibrant and dedicated woman all her life. Her rich life experiences made her a pleasure to be with. We will miss her.
Suzanne ONeal
October 23, 2013
I met Hana through the Bayou Preservation Society and knew Arthur from his work at Shell Labs and his help with judging the Houston Science and Engineering Fair. Both have been wise advocates of the natural inquisitiveness we all have as children and worked tirelessly to promote that in the form of the Discovery Center. We all have much to admire of their love of science, Nature and humanity.
Joseph Goldman
October 23, 2013
I first met and got to know Hana and Art in 1968 in a political campaign and kept in touch with her ever since. Her enthusiasm for her many interests was intense and total. She never quit and was always dreaming of how to make things better. I will love her forever and will never forget how lucky I was to have known her. Goodbye Hana.
Phil Greene
October 22, 2013
I've known Hana for more than 40 years. One of the strongest advocates for Mother Earth I've ever known. I had the pleasure of hiking with her on overgrown fields which eventually became Armand Bayou. Condolences to her family.
Elaine Ende
October 22, 2013
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