Fay Ranz

Her daughter Beverly writes:

My mother's parents were Max Applebaum and Eva Mannes who had six children (including Fay). Eva (1865?-1945?) was born in Bialytock, Poland or Russia (Located at Longitude 23, Latitude 53 in current day Poland on Map of Belarus - interestingly, only 200 miles from Harry's birthplace in the vicinity of Minsk, Byelorussia) and left at age 16, running away from an arranged marriage. She arrived in Castle Gardens (before Ellis Island was built). Max became a citizen in 1896. He was a scholar, and not a great provider.

My mother was an exceedingly bright child, extremely talented with her hands. She sewed beautifully, crocheted, worked with beads, and was a milliner at one point. As a young child in school, she had some kind of strange rash, poison ivy perhaps, it made it difficult to hold a pen or pencil. As a result, most of her exams had to be oral, which created the most amazing ability to do all kinds of sums and figures in her head. She was a human calculator. I am certain this is where Sidney's ability in mathematics came from. In later years when I took her to the supermarket (she never drove), she had the figures before the cashier. I don't ever remember an error.

She was a very hard working woman, working right along with my father in the business, first the dry goods business, where they were famous for the pleating that was done by a big machine in the basement of the Fulton St. store, and later in the shoe stores. I cannot imagine how when always running a store there was a hot meal on the table, three times a day, in the very immaculate house she kept. In the summer she ran a store in Rockaway, and I would be sent with a hot lunch for Sidney in a store at the other end of Rockaway Beach. Many family members came to visit us on a Sunday - a wonderful get together.

During the winter she ran the store in Fulton St., and when Russell, and I came home from school, she left us in the store so that she could prepare the complete dinner. Since she did not drive she had to wait for Sunday when Dad could take her for food, otherwise she walked many blocks carrying it home. When she was in the store her hands were never idle, she sewed for me, or did some kind of hand work if there was a slow moment. Before the war a store was opened on Flatbush Ave. for Russell. When he was drafted mother had to run that store until the lease ran out. I had to take the trolley, and meet her there every day. After Russell's unfortunate death, mother was extremely ill and it seems to me she no longer worked in the stores.

She had a strong will in certain respects. When Sidney was in college, and later in graduate school nothing would stop her determination to let him complete his education, though dad was opposed to it. When he was in graduate school working on his master's degree, as soon as I got home from school, she took me to relieve Sidney so he could take his courses in the evening. She had a fierce determination, nothing was to stand in the way of his finishing his studies, perhaps because she was not allowed to attend high school (her teachers pleaded with her mother because she was so bright, but her mother needed her to help with the family income). When Sidney did graduate college, there was an enormous party and dinner for 32 people. The Ranz aunts & family presented him with a beautiful Bulova watch, which he wore proudly.

She was a fierce taskmaster seeing to it that I learned to sew, iron, and help with the house. When I worked with her she watched over my shoulders, when I worked with Sidney he watched over me, not letting any young men or boys near me. If I talked to neighborhood boys he pulled me inside the store in a flash. Whether this was his own or mother's influence, I never knew.

She was always busy with her hand work, and the grandchildren began to come along. She took great pride in them. Jules of course was the first, and the apple of hers and everyone else's (especially his grandfather's) eyes. A Ranz son, nothing could have meant more to him.

Around 1950 we moved to Valley Stream. She had a real garden for the first time; she tended it with care, and it was appreciated by the people throughout the village. They would come and photograph her flowers in bloom and her garden. She loved to walk, and walked to the village all the time. When people stopped to give her a lift, she declined as she liked to walk, no matter what the weather.

She was a good, and loving wife, she took care of my Dad no matter how sick he was, until the end. They were married for 58 years, when he died. She was fiercely careful of his dignity when he was very ill. She was never really carefree after Russell was killed, but neighborhood children loved to hear her sing old songs to them as she crocheted or embroidered on the front or back porch.

When she died we found carriage covers she made for great grandchildren she would never live to see. She was lucky enough to see David born before Dad died, and Josh, born before she died. When she told me she saw Josh, I thought she imagined it, until Julie told me they did bring the baby to her.

Fay and Harry were married three times: in 1913, and on the occasions of their 25th and 50th anniversaries. During the great depression they lost everything in the Crash, Fay encouraged Harry, and said they would just start all over again, and they did.