Wilhelmina Schwartzberg, of Warwick, passed away on February 23, 2014 at Schervier Pavilion. She was 92 years old.
Wilhelmina Schwartzberg, or "Oma" as she was known by those who loved her, was born Wilhelmina Marie Luisa Van Os in Amsterdam, Holland in 1922. She was the second of four children, with an older brother and a younger brother and sister. Despite being orphaned at the age of four, and spending her youth in a country occupied by the Nazis (where she assisted with the Resistance), Oma’s spirit and optimism never flagged, and she remained eternally positive and full of life and kindness. After traveling the world doing various jobs, including living in Iceland for three years, Oma found herself in New York. In 1958, she married Seymour Schwartzberg, a professional musician. Shortly thereafter, their daughter Suzanne was born. The family lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years, where Seymour continued his career in music and Oma worked as a doctor’s assistant, a nursery school teacher, a knitting pattern translator and sample knitter for Vogue, a child care provider, and a nurse/companion to the elderly. After Seymour’s death 1996, Oma moved to Warwick, New York to live with her daughter and her daughter’s family, which included her husband Michael and their two children Griffin and Darla. All lived harmoniously together in a large Victorian. While here, Oma participated in all aspects of family and community life and made many new friends. This included spending many hours with her grandchildren and the children of others in the P.I.E. program at elementary school, where she shared her love of and great skill at knitting and crocheting. Oma loved art and music, and surrounded herself with family, friends and many vibrant, artistic people. She touched many lives and left this earth greatly loved. If there is a heaven, surely she has been welcomed there. She is already sorely missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to D'Addario Foundation, 595 Smith St., Farmingdale, NY 11735.