The family of Franziska (Franzie) Weiss,
Karin and Edgar,
Karin;
I want to express my deep condolences. I came to know your mother via mine almost ten years ago. I will always be grateful to her for being a good friend and a good listener to my mother when she lived at Billings Lodge opposite your mother's elegant apartment.
The two of them shared a common heritage.
I promised that I would keep in touch with Franzie after my mother died and I did, maybe not enough times. I visited her a number of times in her retirement home. The last time was in early July this year. We have a mulberry tree in our back yard and I brought her a small number of sweet mulberries and raspberrries that I had harvested . I remembered that she and my mother had often reminisced about eating mulberries when they were young girls. She would tell me that they had both a white and black mulberry tree at their home in Johannisfeld.
I did not know the protocol at her retirement home last July. I expected that that I would simply drop off my gift at the front desk. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived that she was sitting outside. We had a twenty minute visit. At first she did not recognize me because of the mask. When she finally did she was so apologetic. I told her not to worry about it. I thought many times about visiting in September but the time went by and unfortunately I did not. I feel sad about that.
She only once told me about leaving home and going east to the Sea of Azov and becoming a nurse. It was to to me a fanscinating story. I kept asking her to tell me more but somehow she never did. Why would she not go west to Vienna to a place where she at least knew the language? I never received an answer.
I loved talking to her. Her intelligence always showed through. She had broad interests.
I shall always be grateful to her and I will miss her, but happy that I did get to know her.
Tony Durst