Esther S. Bick

Bick (Sagalyn), Esther S.
Feb. 26, 1914 - March 16, 2012

Esther S. Bick (Sagalyn), 98, of Nokomis, Fla., died on March 16, 2012. Born and raised in Springfield, Mass., she graduated from Wellesley College, then attended the Yale School of Drama. Her published plays included Only the Birds, Elixir and Limbo. In her marriage of 72 years to Malcolm W. Bick, M.D., she raised three children, pursued art and antique collecting and traveled extensively. She shared her husband's interest in collecting Old Master Italian drawings. She served on the Boards of the Mount Holyoke Museum of Art, the Springfield Public Library and Museum and the Ringling Museum. Finding excitement in life-long learning, she studied psychology, Italian and Spanish in her later years.
She had many friends. She became a confidante for some and supported them in crises. She was very generous with others and made them feel welcome. She loved to entertain. At her dinner parties, she cultivated a salon-like atmosphere with artists, friends, relatives and other art collectors. She enjoyed a lively exchange of ideas, showed a strong curiosity in others and did not shy from intellectual confrontation. The force of her personality was apparent at an evening's end, when she would stand up and announce, "Okay everyone, it's time to go home." She was direct and candid about another's well being. She told her physician that his shoes appeared worn out, his feet must ache, good shoes were essential and offered money for a new pair.
Pre-deceased by her husband, Malcolm W. Bick, M.D., her sisters, Lenore Cohen and Lillian Burack, her brothers, Julian Sagalyn, Robert Sagalyn and Irwin Sagalyn, her daughter, Elizabeth Lonsdorf and her step grandson, Mark Patrick, she is survived by her brother, Arnold Sagalyn, and sister-in-law, Louise; her son, Michael S. Bick, M.D., and daughter-in-law, Charlotte; her daughter, Katherine R. Bick, M.S., R.N.P., and son-in-law, Thomas Andrew; her grandchildren, Eric Lonsdorf, Ph.D., Julian Bick, M.D., Allison Jones and Seth Weitberg; her great-grandchildren, Ava and Lyla Jones, Siena and Jackson Lonsdorf and Kelly Patrick. A private cremation was held. Donations in her name may be sent to the Tidewell Hospice, 220 Wexford Blvd, Venice, FL 34293.