Ida Wasserman

Ida Wasserman, 102 of Sun City Center, Fla. She was born January 28, 1908 in Jorneshe, Ukraine and died November 12, 2010 in Sun City Center, Fla. She was the beloved wife of the late Abraham Wasserman, mother of Ed (Zelda) Wasserman of Wilmington, DE, Rhoda Payne Brueggeman of Sun City Center, Fla and Malvina Wasserman of New York City. Grandmother of Stephen Wasserman, Diane (Matthew) Feldman, Ellen (Paul) Payne Brant, and the late Bruce Payne; great grandmother of Jeffrey Feldman, Brian Feldman, Alexandra Hamlin, Andrew Hamlin and Caitlin Brant. She was one of eight children, her remaining siblings are Saul (Shirley) Ulano, Sarah Golub and Sam Ulano. Ida came to the United States as a young child and attended New York City Schools, graduating from Washington Irving High School. She worked in the New York commercial and garment industries. She met Abraham Wasserman through a group of Jewish immigrant friends called The Amicos. Ida and Abe were married on August 30, 1930; a marriage which lasted sixty-six years until her husband's death. She raised her three children while continuing to work and provided a wonderful and loving home-filled with books, music (especially opera), and family celebrations. She attended City College and Brooklyn College part-time, her love of learning never ended. In the summer of 2005, she moved to Sun City Center to live with her daughter, Rhoda and her late husband, Charles Brueggeman. She happily adjusted to her new surroundings and thanks to her daughter's efforts and commitment, became a regular at the fitness center, where she worked out almost every day. She was featured in a BBC special on fitness and longevity which filmed in April of 2010. She played a fine game of Scrabble at the bi-weekly Scrabble Club sessions, a group which was founded for her. She also enjoyed local concerts and opera performances. She never missed a televised Tampa Bay Rays game. She had converted to the Rays after being a lifelong Yankees fan. She was deeply loved as a woman of warmth and kindness, good humor, and practicality. She will be missed. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at Sun City Center Funeral Home, 1851 Rickenbacker Drive, Sun City Center, Fla. Donations may be made in Ida's memory to Sun City Center Emergency Squad, 101 Ray Watson Drive, Sun City Center, Fla 33573