ESTHER GURIAN

GURIAN--Esther, died at age 99 on January 18, 2024 after a long decline. Daughter of Hyman, whom she lost in the height of the Great Depression when Esther was only eight years old, and of Celia, who died in 1955. Last surviving sister of Ethel, Rebecca, and Bertha (with whom she was most close). Dear sister-in-law of Eddie, Bertha's husband, now also long deceased. Mother of Karen and Craig; grandmother to David, and to Mollie, Alison, and Nico; and great-grandmother of three. In the first half of her life, Esther suffered through a variety of difficult circum-stances. She ultimately fought her way out. In 1969, she secured a job outside of the home to support the family. In the mid-1970s, she began her long-deferred dream of attending college (even while working full-time). Shortly thereafter, she courageously left her marriage. In 1979, she graduated from Brooklyn College, an accomplishment in which she took great pride ever after. After a few years, Esther, a life-long resident of Brooklyn, moved to Queens to be closer to her sister and brother-in-law, Bertha and Eddie. Still later, with the assistance of her son Craig and his wife, Lori, she found an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. People sometimes talk more about the cultural opportunities of Manhattan than they take advantage of them; Esther, by contrast, was fully and happily in her element - maintaining a busy schedule of "activities," as she called them, long into her 80s. Esther found enjoyment in her life and in her family, including, not least, her nieces and nephews. In her last years, sadly, her world shrank dramatically. Now that she is at peace, it will be easier for those who knew her to bring back into focus the spark and drive that animated her.