Edith Katz

In Loving Memory of Edith Katz

June 14, 1931 – August 25, 2025

On Monday, August 25, 2025, surrounded by love and care, Edith Katz passed away peacefully at Hospicare in Ithaca, New York, at the age of 94. Her passing marks the end of a long, rich, and meaningful life—one built on love, sacrifice, strength, and quiet grace.

Born in Vienna, Austria, on June 14, 1931, Edith was the daughter of Rose and Morris Schachner and the younger sister of Erwin. As a young girl, she was forced to leave the only home she knew as the Nazis swept through Austria. With her mother and brother, she fled to France. Even as a child, Edith showed resilience and adaptability beyond her years. Eventually, the family made the long journey to the United States by boat, seeking safety and hope. They landed first on Manhattan’s Lower East Side before finally settling in Vineland, New Jersey, where they started over, raising chickens and selling eggs.

Edith made a life for herself in America. She earned a degree in merchandising and went on to meet and marry David Katz. Together, they built a marriage that weathered all the storms life brought them. They raised two sons: Dr. Lloyd Katz (Ithaca, NY) and Mitchell Katz (Flushing, NY)

There was nothing Edith wouldn’t do for her boys. Her love for them ran deeper than words could ever express. She gave everything of herself to ensure they had the best life possible. With Mitchell, she and David faced a world that offered few resources for children with special needs. But they never gave up. Edith became an advocate, a researcher, a fighter—determined to create opportunities where there were none. Even after Mitchell moved into a group home, she and David brought him home every weekend for more than 30 years. Their love was consistent, unwavering, and fierce.

For Lloyd, Edith was a constant source of strength, encouragement, and love. She saw in him something special and supported his journey to becoming an extraordinary chiropractor and healer. She believed deeply in his work—not just as a proud mother, but as someone who shared his belief in holistic health, healing, education and the power of care. Edith often said that Lloyd’s healing touch had helped both her and David more than any medicine ever could. Even in her final days, she couldn’t help but share her pride in her son’s work with anyone who would listen.

More than Edith’s pride in Lloyd’s work, was his gift of her one, deeply beloved grandson Prasad (Boulder, Colorado). Edith took joy in Prasad’s interests and pursuits in life, but was most proud of his character and the type of man she watched him become. They both cherished their long conversations and Prasad will always remember the wisdom Edith humbly imparted. She had a great influence on him, sharing her priorities of kindness, integrity, peace, joy and practicality. She was not a religious woman, but she had a curious and optimistic world view that was contagious.

Professionally, Edith spent many years working for Maidenform, where she became one of the top ten salespeople in the country. Her secret? She didn’t just sell. She listened. She cared. She built trust. These weren’t just sales strategies—they were who she was. Edith brought that same warmth and attentiveness to every relationship in her life. Whether you were family, a friend, or a caregiver, you felt seen by her, known, and deeply loved.

Edith never stopped growing. She had a mind full of curiosity and a spirit that never gave up on learning. From trading stocks to writing poetry, from practicing laughter yoga to creating art, Edith kept her soul engaged and her heart open. She said that if she hadn’t gone into sales, she would’ve been a counselor—and anyone who had a conversation with her would agree. She had the rare gift of wisdom wrapped in kindness.

Though not traditionally religious, Edith had a spiritual depth that radiated peace. In her later years, thanks in part to the sharing of her niece Erica Statman (née Schachner), her husband Michael, and their children Yosef and Chaya, Edith began to reconnect with her Jewish roots—gently, tentatively, but sincerely. Exploring her experience of her Judaism and the anti-semitism that was left behind in Vienna but whose scars remained.

Edith is survived by her sons, Lloyd and Mitchell Katz; her grandson Prasad Katz; her niece Erica and husband Michael Statman (Fairfax, VA); her great-nephew Yosef and great-niece Chaya; and her beloved sisters-in-law, Karen Gliniak and Rhoda Haeberle (New York), who were constants of love and connection throughout her long marriage to David.

To know Edith was to love her. She had a spark—gentle but strong, soft but powerful. She had a sense of humor, an open heart, and a fierce devotion to those she held dear. Her life was a living example of resilience, loyalty, and unconditional love.

She will be missed beyond words—but her spirit lives on in all who were blessed to know her.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, August 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve in Newfield, NY. Following the burial service, family and friends are invited to a gathering at the home of her son, Lloyd Katz, 3 Pheasant Lane, Ithaca, NY 14850.

In Lieu of flowers please make a donation to Hospicare at https://www.hospicare.org/give/

You can select in honor of Edith Katz. We are setting up a special fund at hospicare that will help provide the residents with a speaker and a device to play a dying play list or other music of their choice and some holistic tools such as essential oil diffusers to assist in over all wellbeing and reduce anxiety.