Esther "Essy" Davidowitz

KINGSTON — Esther "Essy" Davidowitz of Kingston, passed away on Tuesday, May 17, at her home, surrounded by three generations of descendants and people who loved her dearly. She was a warm, generous, and spiritual matriarch to a wonderful family. Her welcoming home and empathy for others established her as a mother figure to many. She led by example with a wise heart that called for peace and understanding. She was a brilliant woman, advocate for others, and a lifelong learner with a passion for the arts. She inspired many with her kindness, resilience, Jewish values, and love of family. Her passing is a deep loss for her family, the community, and the world.

Essy was the wife of William Davidowitz, who passed away in 2018 after 62 years of marriage.

Born in Hazleton on March 2, 1934, Esther was the daughter of Alvan Baum and Ethel Goldman Baum. She was a proud graduate of Wyoming Seminary, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simmons College, Boston, which later honored her with an Alumni Achievement Award.

After college, Essy worked at Paine Furniture Co. in Boston. Bill traveled to Boston to court Essy. Their romance quickly bloomed and she returned to the area to marry Bill, which she called "the best decision of my life."

She devoted herself to her family and community, raising four sons and embracing leadership roles at Wilkes University, the Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation.

With a knack for taking on projects. Essy arranged to bring Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel to King's College for a lecture; organized a poetry festival at Penn State, and led fund-raising drives for the United Jewish Appeal, John Heinz Institute, Wilkes University, which she served as a trustee, and Holocaust Memorial Council.

Among her many accomplishments, Essy played flute in a klezmer band and learned to play the harp as an adult. She taught art appreciation classes for an Elderhostel program at Misericordia University and served as a volunteer teacher at the JCC Camp.

She used her literary skills to edit the books "Essays of an Educator" by Dr. Eugene Farley; "Your Life is Worth Living, A Christian Philosophy of Life" based on the writings of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, "Pennsylvania Seasons," which showcased the photographs of local pulmonologist Dr. Henry Smith and, most recently, in January 2020, "Memories of a Brain Doctor" by Dr. Abraham Lieberman,

Among her many awards, Essy received the Hannah Solomon Award from Hadassah in 1976, the Distinguished Community Service Award of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith in 1998, Temple Israel Pillars of the Community in 2020, and the Wilkes University President's Medal in 2020.

She was pleased, in 2002, to be chosen as one of 500 women from around the world to attend the Global Peace Initiative of Women in Geneva, Switzerland.

Essy and her late husband endowed scholarships at Penn State and Wilkes University, and she delighted in meeting the first-generation college students who received them. She also led fund drives to further research at Wills Eye Hospital and to purchase a microscope for the hematology department at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

A cancer survivor who also met the challenges of Parkinson's Disease, Essy dedicated herself to helping other patients use creative visualization to cope with their illnesses.

While family members say she did not let anything hold her back, she admitted she had faced difficult periods. But, quoting the French philosopher Albert Camus as she accepted an award from her alma mater. she said: "In the midst of winter I found there was in me an invincible summer."

Left to cherish Essy's memory are a large and loving family which includes: sons, Jeff and his wife, Sherry, of Shavertown; Steven, of Dallas; Ivan and his wife, Cheri, of Kingston, and Ben, of the Philippines.

Essy also is survived by grandchildren Adam (Rachel), Stefanie, Sam (Stephanie), Kim, Daniel, Amanda (Louis), Max, Harry, Rosie and Billy and one great-grandson, William, and her sister, Ida Ruth "Cokie" Citron, South Carolina.

The funeral service will be at Temple Israel, South River St., Wilkes-Barre on 10 a.m. Thursday.

Interment will be in Agudas Israel Cemetery, Hazleton.

Shiva will be observed at the family home, 621 Meadowland Ave., Kingston on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m., and on Monday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m.