Aviva Kotkowski née Leibovitch, 87, passed away peacefully in her home last night on August 24, 2017. She was born December 7, 1929 in Tel Aviv, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine - now Israel - to Joseph Chaim Leibovitch and Sonya Weiser, Jewish pioneers fleeing Anti-Semitism in Russia. She reached military age during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948 where she served as secretary to the renowned Israeli general Moshe Dayan. Shortly thereafter, in 1952, she met and married her husband of 55 years, Itzhak Kotkowski, a Holocaust Survivor from Poland. The young family left Israel in 1957 to Mexico City where they raised their two boys Avi and Doron before finally settling in El Paso, TX in 1979. To those who knew her, Aviva was first and foremost a devoted mother and grandmother. She enjoyed playing cards and mahjong with friends, chatting with friends and family around the world, and hosting dinners. Nevertheless, nothing made her happier than spending time with her three beloved grandchildren. She will be remembered as a strong-willed and loving mother and grandmother with a profound passion for life. Aviva is preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Sonya, her brother Shura, and her husband Itzhak. She is survived by her two sons Avi and Doron, and three grandsons Eithan, Arik, and Gideon. The funeral will take place this afternoon, August 25, after 2:00 pm at the B'nai Zion Cemetery. www.martinfuneralhomewest.com

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Published by El Paso Times from Aug. 24 to Aug. 31, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for AVIVA KOTKOWSKI

Sponsored by ElPasoTimes.com.

10 Entries

Daphne Zaresky

August 21, 2024

Remembering my dear aunt very often....her beautiful look ,her voice and the memories which we shared when talking on the phone or when we met.I miss her a lot...Love,her niece,Daphne

Orlee kornum

August 24, 2021

Remembering dear aviva with love

Sefi Zaresky

August 30, 2017

Dear Eithan and the rest of the family!

I was reading every word that you wrote and could strongly feel the same feelings that are floating now in every heart of each member of the family.
I would like to express what your grandma( my grandpa's beloved sister)was meant to me:

I will always remember as a little kid her presents and the love she had given me and my brother when she met us in her visits.

I was always shocked to see how many friends she has in every place in the world. When she was visiting Tel Aviv I used to take her to some friends and it was every time to a different address to a new friend I didn't know....

I remember her spending hours on the phone talking to everyone, ask how they feel and remember to ask about every detail in ones life.

Mine greatest moment with her was her last time in Israel, i had an idea to take her to the building she was born and raised in, just to see it in the last time....
We were looking at the building and then I told her, let's go upstairs maybe we'll have luck to see the apartment as well...
After a minute of convincing her we were knocking on the door and after a small chat in Hebrew with the current tenant we were inside. To our surprise the apartment was on it's original condition which brought a lot of good memories to Aviva, we went to the small kitchen and Aviva showed me how her mother used to cook there.
It was a great moment to look at her there and to she how happy she was.

I used to spend a lot of time talking to her while I was living in Canada and she was always ask how I feel and if I was doing ok or need any help.
Canada was really good to me and I know she was happy that I was doing so well there.

Family came to her on the first place and she was so proud of every member of the family about his deeds.
She loved so much her grandkids, her sons, their wives, her husband and always had a good word to tell about them.
My last conversation to her was a day before she got back from the hospital and she said to me" I have suchgreat boys"

I have so many memories and moments to share but i think that those are the things that describing her the most to me...
May she rest in peace and hope she is smiling with Yitzhak now reading this....

Sefi

Daphne Zaresky

August 30, 2017

Dear Eithan and family,

I was so moved by your words, reading and crying at the same time.....then, decided to share some thoughts and feelings about what Aviva meant to me, as a belovedaunt.

Even thought that most of my life we were separated by oceans(she living in Mexico and then in the U.S.A, and I in Israel),we were very close in our hearts.

As a small child we spent a lot of time together in Tel-Aviv,and then she got married(I have a picture of me in her wedding in my album)and I have memories of playingwith Avi in our grandparents' home, taking care of him as the "older" cousin.

Since Aviva and Itzhak left Israel, we met either when she came quite often to Israel ,or when I visited(last time was last summer).

In between, we were talking on the phone trying to hear and pass the news concerning our families

For Aviva, the family was the most important thing. She was so proud of her grandchildren ,always talking about them and wanted to hear all the details when we met them.

While being with her ,we were always raising memories about my grandparents(her parents) and in one of her visits in Tel-Aviv, she even went with my son, to visit theapartment where she lived as a child and a young adult.

Aviva was very social and friendly ,had many friends wherever she lived, kept in touch with all of them. and loved to visit and host them.

She was a great balabuste(in Yiddish means a great housewife),liked to invite family and friends for the holidays, always set gorgeous tables and looked like a princess.....

You can see the pictures in her many albums in which I looked over and over again, each time I visited her.

She was a great cook(learning from her mother) but always asked me to prepare ......an Israeli salad when I stayed at her home.

For me she always looked like a model. Her appearance so precise, in the house and out of it.

I used to tell her "For me you always look like a million dollar...".and she would laugh.....knowing that I meant every word.

Rosh Hashana is coming soon. For me it would be so strange not calling her and wishing her all the best. I just hope that me and my children would go on keeping in touch with Avi,Miriam,Doron and the grandchildren as she would sure have wanted.

Already missing you so much

Love
Daphne.

Orlee Leibovitch Kornblum

August 29, 2017

Dear Family,
With deep grief we had received the mesage of which we had dreaded from, about the passing away of our beloved aunt, Aviva.
Aviva had been the late sister of our dear father and grandfather, Shura.
Aviva and Shura were impresive, good hearted, kind and friendly persons.
The family had been for them the outmost importance and value, and we had always felt towards Aviva a lot of love and affection.
Hosting Aviva In Israel had been always a pleasure, that made us feel saddened for the geographical distance that had separated us from her.
Aviva had kept in touch also with her Tel Avivian childhood friends, whom she liked to meet while visiting Israel, giving her a real sense of joy and happiness.
Pretty Aviva had always sported a million dollar look, with her great figure and elegant style.
We all grief the pain and sorrow that had fallen on Avi, Doron, Miriam and the grandchildren, whom Aviva had been very attached to and had a special bond.
The memory of Aviva will always be treasured within our hearts.

Orlee (Liebovitch), Yossi, Yoni and Yasmin Kornblum.

Attached a Picture of Aviva, Shura and their parents, taken at 1932 in Tel Aviv to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

Mark Leybovich

August 28, 2017

Aviva was a cousin of my late father, Victor (Zev) Leybovich. Our condolences to her fine family. May she rest in peace!

Alexander Leybovich

August 28, 2017

Our Deepest Condolences to the family.
Aviva was a cousin of my late father Victor Leybovich. We have met in 1992 when Aviva and Evelyn came to Cleveland, where we lived at that time, to celebrate Bar-Mitzva of our son Leo. In the past year I've talked to Aviva several times over the phone. With our Love and Sympathy to her Family. Alexander Leybovich and Family

Vladimir Leibovich

August 25, 2017

Our deepest condolences to the family.
Aviva was a cousin of my late father Emanuel Leibovich.
We've met Aviva several times in the 1980th and have very lovely memories to be in her company. She left an impression as a strong and dedicated to her family person.
It was a pleasure to be in her and her husband company.
With love and great sympathy to her family.
Vladimir Leibovich and family.

Oscar Baca jr

August 25, 2017

Fam. Kotkowski
La fam. Baca vazquez sentimos mucho la pérdida de una madre una abuela tan linda y entregada a sus nietos e hijos les mandamos nuestro más sentido pésame y les damos un abrazote y que Dios les otorgue una pronta resignación.

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