Beatrice Raab Greenberg

1923 - 2019

Greenberg, Beatrice Raab ALBANY Beatrice Raab Greenberg, 95 of Albany, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 28, 2019. She was the daughter of the late Harry and Ida Belle Bittman Raab. She was predeceased by her beloved brother, Sylvan Raab; and adored sister, Rita Raab Berger; and her beloved husband Sol, after a marriage of 72 years. She leaves behind her daughter, Elizabeth (Greenberg) Friedland of Cambridge, Mass.; son Harry Greenberg and daughter-in-law, Linda of Schenectady; along with her three grandchildren, Caroline Friedland, of Cambridge, and David Greenberg, of Westfield, Mass., and Ellen Greenberg, of Albany. She is survived by nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and dear friends. She was outstandingly kind and a most loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother. A native Albanian, Bea graduated from Milne High School and went on to study classical piano at Ithaca College. She returned to Albany after the sudden passing of her father, and worked for a short time at the Detroit Supply Company, which he co-founded. When she was 16, she met Sol Greenberg with whom she studied Hebrew in preparation for her Confirmation from Congregation Beth Emeth. They were married in 1945. During the war years, she volunteered for The Red Cross, developing a passion for nursing. While her children were in elementary school, she went to Hudson Valley Community College to become a registered nurse and was in the first graduating class of registered nurses. Through the years, she kept up her love of classical piano, dazzling us with her dexterity when playing her favorites - Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu in C and Debussy's Clair de Lune - for her family and friends. Always modest, Bea was a women of many talents. In addition to being a pianist and a compassionate nurse, she was a masterful baker, creating and perfecting family recipes, with numerous submissions to the Pillsbury Bake-Off competitions in the 1960s. She knitted exquisitely and we will always cherish her beautiful sweaters. She enjoyed writing poems for dear friends and family on special occasions. Friends and neighbors admired her beautiful plantings that graced the front yard. She was also a lifelong member of Hadassah and Congregation Beth Emeth. Bea was beautiful inside and out. The most gentle soul, she was always loving, giving, accepting, and had a wonderful sense of humor. She was unwavering in her love of family. Services will be held at Congregation Beth Emeth, 100 Academy Road, Albany, Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. Interment will follow in the Congregation Beth Emeth Cemetery in Loudonville. A period of mourning will be observed at the home of Harry and Linda Greenberg, 984 W. Pine Hill Dr., Schenectady, on Monday, March 4, from 4 until 7:30 p.m. Those wishing to remember Bea in a special way may make a memorial contribution to a charity of their choice.