FEBRUARY 07, 2019 • THE VILLAGE TIMES HERALD • PAGE A7
Pam Trachtenberg
With great sadness, the family of Pam Trachtenberg acknowledges her loss on the afternoon of Jan. 19. The Setauket resident was the loving wife of Dr. Albert S. Trachtenberg, who died just four months earlier, and the beloved mother of Myles and Moira. She was also the adored grandmother of Myles B. and Jeremy M. Trachtenberg and Acadia and Esther Thielking. Born in 1937, Pam, née Pearl Ann Mack, grew up on the outskirts of Gary, Indiana. She took several long bus rides each day in order to attend high school in the city. She graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Nursing in 1959, and then made the long journey to New York City to begin her career as a nurse. Her natural leadership skills led Pam to become the head of nursing at the Bronx VA Hospital, on the locked psych ward. She was later recruited to become the head nurse of a Catholic nursing home in the Bronx. In 1963, Pam retired as a nurse to become a full-time mother and household manager, jobs that she treated just as enthusiastically and efficiently as nursing. She was an original do-ityourself virtuoso. In turn, she was an electrician, plumber, pool mechanic, generator technician, painter, furniture designer, home decorator, carpenter and clothing designer/sewing genius/ upholsterer. To share her knowledge, she taught a continuing education DIY class for women at the local community college.
She also generously donated her time and talents in the community, most notably for the Island Symphony Orchestra and St. Charles Hospital, and almost always became the leader of whatever endeavor was at hand. She had a talent for executing unique and elegant fundraising galas — creating inventive themes, decorating to match and finding the perfect entertainment. She also held a term as the president of the Sisterhood at Temple Beth Sholom in Smithtown. In her spare time, Pam also enjoyed skiing, tennis, fishing and travel. Pam returned to nursing as an empty-nester, and she worked as a rehabilitation nurse for Liberty Mutual for several years. As a grandmother, Pam proved that she had never lost her ability to play. For many years she ran a week-long “Granny Camp” at her home for her four grandchildren, spoiling them with love, swimming, arts and crafts, homemade chocolate chip cookies and a celebratory Happy Unbirthday Party. In summer months, she could be found from early morning to dusk nurturing both flowers and a bountiful vegetable garden. Her other greatest joy, in all seasons, was cooking delicious gourmet meals for family and friends, often featuring produce and herbs from her kitchen garden. Pam will be greatly missed by her family and friends for her boundless energy, creativity, her attention to detail, her willingness to help anyone in need, her endless curiosity to figure out how things worked and her analytical mind, which enabled her to solve just about any problem with precision and style. But we’ll miss most of all her endless love for her family. At the end of a visit, when a family member would say, “I love you,” she would always reply, “I love you more.”
— Moira-Jo Trachtenberg-Thielking
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Marion Lane Banks Rogers, of St. James, died Jan. 27, at the age of 100. She was born Dec. 26, 1918, in Missouri, grew up in Georgia and moved to New York City when she was 20. There she met and married Dr. Frederick Rand Rogers (1894–1972). He was a radical American educator, pioneer of physical fitness testing and inventor of the Physical Fitness Index. They moved to California where their daughter Marion Lane Rogers was born. They spent years in Palo Colorado Canyon, south of Monterey, where they built their own home. They eventually moved to New York, living in Sea Gate in Brooklyn. Their final home was in St. James. Marion worked at the Environmental Defense Fund during its fledgling years, contributing to safer water, rivers and streams all over the U.S. and the growth of one of America´s most important environmental organizations. She was the author of “Acorn Days: The Environmental Defense Fund and How It Grew,” the history of EDF. She often wrote to newspapers and magazines, commenting on cultural and political events, and she wrote many stories. She was a vivacious, spirited, humorous and clever writer and corresponded on her trusty typewriter with friends and family all of her life. She knew the words to every song and play that she had ever heard, read or seen. Marion loved to garden and
planted and nurtured gorgeous grounds, filled with all variety of flowers, trees and vegetables at their gracious home in St. James. She was always entertaining friends, neighbors, children and family. She also loved horses and for decades hosted many a riotous Kentucky Derby party with her daughter Marion. No one wanted to miss this annual event. She adored animals, had many cats and especially loved dogs that always sat at her feet by the fireplace, which was almost always aglow. Marion had a wry sense of humor, was raised as a gracious, accomplished, southern woman, retaining her Georgian accent all her life. She was a devoted friend and mentor for many younger women in her extended family and a powerful source of inspiration, moderation and joy to one and all who knew her. She was a staunch believer in democratic principles, equality, justice and civility. As her daughter has said, “She was determined to share her knowledge and love of family and environment with this world.” Her many friends and extended family mourn the passing of this very great and wise woman. She is survived by her daughter Marion Lane Rogers and numerous grandchildren and great-
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