Eulogy by Gary
for Ellen Levand

Mom had a lot of great qualities and we owe her a tremendous debt.

In the short time I'll speak today I don't think I can possibly do her justice, but fortunately I didn't feel much pressure in preparing for this because I know Mom interacted with so many people and had such a great impact on so many people. People here and countless others she came into contact with, I believe already know what a good and wonderful person she was.

Personally, I think I've developed a much greater respect and have come to appreciate the good fortune of having such a great mom over the last four years. Until I had my own children and experienced for myself being a parent I think I really took for granted all the things that mom and dad did for me. Going through the experiences of raising children, all the time and effort of staying up at night when they are sick, changing the count-less diapers, dealing with their needs, and then the joy of seeing them grow up has been such an awakening experience.

I will always remember Mom as a nurturer, a healer, and a comforter. I think she was instinctively drawn to people that were in pain, needed guidance, or nurturing. And she was very good at treating people and giving them the support and guidance that they needed.

While obviously this was a tragedy for our family and the world was certainly a much better place with mom here, clearly she passed on many of her greatest qualities. Not only to her children but it's obvious that her character is spreading in multiple directions and multiplying through her descendants and others that she touched during her life.

Last week when it was clear that her time was coming to an end I had a few minutes alone with her and I took the opportunity to thank her for everything she had done for me and I told her that she did not deserve this terrible disease and what she had gone through.

But seeing how her daughters responded over the last three years was truly remarkable and demonstrated that her greatness lives on in her children. Zippora was incredible in taking care of Mom from the time she was diagnosed. She pursued every available medical and alternative treatment and personally willed Mom to get healthy and live as long as she did. Romy was incredibly supportive throughout, including driving mom to and from her radiation appointments daily, and even taking her to see patients after those appointments. And the care, respect, and unbelievable effort that Michele put forth over the last six months in taking care of Mom was hard to believe. There were many times when it wasn't a question of who had to take care of mom, rather it was a question of who got to take care of mom.

And personally I sought out the qualities my mom had for my wife. I am so grateful that I found my wife Sarah in part because she has those same qualities, and they are central traits of her family. So I am so thankful to have her as my wife and the mother of our children. And I also know that Mom's two sons in law were so close and supportive that they became just like biological sons to her. The effort, care, support and respect that Alex and Paul showed over the last few years was really remarkable.

We are going to miss mom terribly, but we are so thankful that she was our mother and we are so thankful for everything she did for us. I just hope that we can do her justice and be a merit in her honor.