Molly Shelby

Her daughter Sue says, “My mom was a woman that seemed like everyone else of her generation, but she was more. She was a forward thinking woman that believed in women’s rights and gender equality. She wasn’t a great writer, but she did write; she wasn’t a great poet, but she did write and read poetry, she wasn’t a great musician, but she did play the piano and loved music and she wasn’t a great linguist but she did know 5 languages. The one thing she was, was a great wife, mother and grandmother devoted to her immediate and extended family. Through the good years and lean years she always managed to keep a smile on her face. She was the one person family and friends could count on to help in times of need. Her unselfish devotion throughout her life to her mother, father, and brothers through divorce and major illnesses will always be remembered by their families. She was the major force that held the family together. I will always be grateful to her for instilling in me the love of art, music, nature and the world around me and teaching me the importance of love and devotion to my family and friends. I will never forget her and always love her.”

Her son-in-law Irv remembers, “Molly was a very independent woman who loved to read. She loved her family and was devoted to helping family members. Molly was outspoken and a firm believer in proper mannerisms.”

Her grandson Phil says, “My grandma was my best friend. She was the world’s greatest story teller. Through my childhood she filled my life with magic. With her weekend visits from New York she brought urban tales filled with character and intrigue—just ordinary stories about people in her building or her work or from our extended family. The way she wove the stories, her cadence, her hand gestures enraptured me for hours. She made me feel special—as if she confided in me and only me. She recited poetry from memory with a sing-song voice and opened the world of literature and writing to me. When I think about her now I understand her to have been a refined woman of intense complexity and pride. She carried herself with great beauty. She was my confidant, my mentor and my best friend.”

Her granddaughter Jini says, “My grandmother was the most beautiful, genuine and loving woman I have ever known. She was dedicated to her family and friends. Her smile and laugh would light up a room. She is my inspiration.”

Her nephew Marty says, “Aunt Molly was a person you just wanted to be around. You felt good in her presence.  You could just feel her love for you. She was funny and very smart.  She was proud of her Greek Jewish heritage and she was a real New Yorker.  In a lot of ways she was a very private person.  Yet when she was in your company she made you feel that all she wanted was your company. She was also just plain interested in you.  She was concerned first for your welfare. She wanted our extended family to be happy and succeed in whatever path we chose.  She was unselfish in giving her time and love.  A lesson learned because she had so many heartaches thru her life. She still shined and that is a lesson for all of us.”

Her niece Marilyn says, “Aunt Molly was a pillar of strength and courage in the waves of my life. Her smile radiated the warmth of the sun.  I thank her for always being there for Marty, my father and me. I love her.”

Her grand niece Barbara says, “Strength, courage, warmth and empathy defined her. Indeed, she glided across life like an ice skater—with beauty and effortless poise.”

Her niece Nicki says, “Due to a family tragedy I was not brought up with my birth father’s family.  As I was growing up my mother told me how much I resembled my father’s side of the family—and she said that my father had a beautiful sister and that I looked very much like her. This beautiful Jewish-Greek aunt was my Aunt Molly, the very first person I met when I found this family when I was 45 years old. She welcomed me into the family with open arms. I was blessed to know my Aunt Molly for 7 years until she died in 2000, and I am so grateful to have had that time with her.”
 
Marcia and David say, “Aunt Molly was the consummate lady - so full of personality and zest for life.  She was a unique personage - bright, funny, loving and so, so giving. She had the wisdom to live every moment to its fullest.  I loved how she loved us and how proud she was of her Jewish-Greek cultural heritage.  She is truly, truly missed.”