Cynthia F. Epstein, age 89 years, of Flemington, NJ, died peacefully on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at home, with her cherished son, Joe, by her side and under the caring watch of Hunterdon Hospice.

A complete life legacy reflecting on this most amazing and humble soul will be forthcoming.

Graveside services officiated by Rabbi Rob Scheinberg will take place on Sunday, September 3, 2023, at 11:30 a.m., in the family plot at Beth David Cemetery, 300 Elmont Road, Elmont, NY 11003. Everyone is respectfully asked to meet at the cemetery office on Sunday by 11:15 a.m. Members of the Wright & Ford Care Team will direct you upon arrival.

The family will receive friends on the following days and times at the locations mentioned:

~Sunday, September 3, 2023, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the home of Cynthia’s son and daughter-in-law, Joe Epstein and Lynn Danzker, 1030 Irving Avenue, Westfield, NJ, 07090.

A memorial service will be held in the coming weeks. Please check the funeral home website for the most current information.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. You are encouraged to visit Cynthia’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

In lieu of gifts of food or flowers, contributions may be made to Congregation Knesseth Israel, via mail to 229 Mountain Avenue, Bound Brook, NJ 08805, or to the charity of one’s choice.

Below, please find the words of love Joe spoke about his mother on the day of her burial:

Mom’s life was built around two things, family and work, with family came religion -something she cared deeply about. I suppose it came from her childhood attendingservices at Temple Beth El in Rockaway

– I remember dad telling me about mom, her sister Elaine and their mother Betty showing up for High Holiday services all deck out including the fancy hats. Ithink that’s when dad fell for her.

Mom had a very large and intertwined extended family which included severalRabbi’s especially her cousin Shai who married mom and dad, and officiated at theirrenewal of their vows 40 years later.

Family and religion also meant a table for 25 or more at the High Holidays and Passover – with mom cooking almost the entire meal. Mom found a carpenter and had him make special extensions for the dining room table so it could extend into the living room to accommodate everyone.

Prior to Rosh Hashannah she would commandeer the kitchen and dad – and they would spend hours making Teglach – a mixture of cookie type dough, with nuts,maraschino cherries, honey and brown sugar. She would make enough for the whole neighborhood and many friends – wether they wanted it or not. I remember one year in particular when she forgot to stir the boiling pot of honey and brownsugar, so it solidified and dad was able to lift the large metal pot off the stove by grabbing the wooden spoon. He and I had a big laugh, mom… not so much.

When I was in grade school, mom didn’t want me to feel left out of the holiday spiritwhen everyone around us was celebrating Christmas so she would invite all the kids from the neighborhood to the house to celebrate Hanukkah and she would make enough latkes for everyone, along with cookies or cake and other goodies. And alsomake sure there were presents for each kid.

Mom and Dad were founding members of Congregation Bet Tikvah in Flemington, something they did because they were not happy with the religious experience at the Jewish Community Center in Flemington. Mine was the first Bar Mitzvah – there had been several

Bat Mitzvah’s prior – mom was so proud of that. They helped nurture thecongregation and held all kinds of positions on the board to help it continue until the end when the congregation merged with Congregation Knesseth Israel in Bound Brook.

I remember sitting in the kitchen in 2005 when I told mom and dad that I had metLynn and I was going to propose. Not only would they be in-laws, but they’d be grandparents as Cole was part of the package deal.   Mom was so happy to be a grandmother, and so proud of the young man Cole has become.

She and dad traveled, they enjoyed trips to the islands of the Caribbean when I was a child with my dads cousins, Susan and Stanley and then later in life the foursome went to Antartica, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and other places.They went to Hawaii and other places with their best friends, my other family, the Strassmans. What a friendship, from the day Marty and Esther sat at our kitchen table and Marty and Dad licked their fingers to pick up the poppy seeds after having bagels. Both Esther and mom yelled at the same time. Friends for life!

OTC…

My sibling – sort of. I’m an only child but I felt like OTC was my sibling – the one that sometimes got all the attention. But I could never say that OTC broke a windowor forgot to take out the garbage. But seriously, mom was a pioneer in her field and a very astute business woman. She ran a tight ship, everything had to be done herway, but she made it work and work well.

When I was in high school and photography seemed to be more than a passing faze for me, mom would bring me to work with her on weekends so I could photograph he latest case or cause. At Clove Lakes on Staten Island I photographed residents of a care facility in wheelchairs. Mom was on a roll if you will, trying to show how the right size wheelchair made life better and gave more function and better use to the person using the chair. So I took photos of a woman who was 5’1” in an extra wide wheelchair and then a person who was 6’3” and weighed over 215 pounds (had bleached blond hair – lots of money, buildings with their name on it – oops sorry, wrong person) in an extra smallchair. So mom could use the slides in her next presentation.

After I graduated from college I photographed different therapists that worked for mom doing different exercises or routines with patients and mom submitted them for the AOTA calendar, and they were published. I think one of Joel’s was publishedas well.

Mom worked long hours, drank lots of coffee, stayed up late at home and worked.She coauthored a book, which she wrote by hand on yellow legal paper. It tookyears… when it was published my dad had a shirt made with the books’ cover on thefront and the words ‘book is a four letter word’.

Mom taught at Kean College, Rutgers and SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, all while raising me, helping dad with his business, volunteering at the synagogue, running her business and finding time to help family.

She traveled for work lecturing and teaching, first nationally then internationally – to China, Australia, and countries in Europe. She was world renown. She left her mark wherever she went and effected the lives of so many. She gave many many therapists their start to their careers and she helped patients all over gain a better quality of life.

She was dedicated to her family and to those who worked for her and those in her care. She left an amazing legacy. She left all of us in a better place and a better world.

You called for Archie the night you passed, I hope he came and brought you to dad.Now you are reunited.

Mom, now you canrest. Enjoy the ever after with dad, Marty, Susan and Stanley.

Give Grandpa Al a big hug for me, same to grandma Betty, Cele, and all the others waiting for you with open arms.

With the help of the people who are gathered her today, and those who love you but could not be here in person, I’ll make sure that the family is taken care of. That the people youcare so much about will be okay.

I love you, I will miss you every day.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”