Obituary: Liselotte Grogin
Liselotte “Lee” Grogin passed away peacefully Sunday, April 12.
Liselotte “Lee” Grogin passed away peacefully Sunday, April 12, at the age of 101. She was preceded in death by her husband David, sister Margot, and two loving sons Steven and Allen. She was born in Bern, Switzerland, July 13, 1918, while her parents Albert and Frieda (Hammer) Goldstein awaited repatriation to Germany after a World War I officer exchange with the French.
After the “Great War” her family moved to Leipzig where she lived until marrying and moving to Berlin. Using their Swiss and Czech birth certificates as shields to keep the SS out of their apartment during Kristallnacht, they sheltered German Jewish families, many of whom had been beaten and lost members during the night. A year later, her and Georg’s birth certificates provided them the ability to reach the U.S. on Aug. 1, 1939, long after German immigration was banned.
Once in New York, she got divorced to pursue her childhood dream of marrying one of the “tall, dark, handsome, rich” Jewish men that were rumored in Leipzig to line the streets of New York. Proudly getting “three out of four,” she married David and had two “tall, dark, handsome sons.” For over 30 years she operated Barnett and Son jewelry shop with David in Manhattan. Memorable clients included John Lennon and Yoko Ono, to whom she personally delivered custom-made wedding jewelry. She retired soon after David passed in 1975. But her natural ability at sales brought her back to work, spending a number of years at Tiffany & Co., where she earned many Salesperson of the Month awards at their silver counter.
Eventually the New York summers were no longer worth the trouble, and she moved to Florida year-round where she lived self-sufficiently until the age of 98. During these years, she regularly drove family and friends to their appointments, dog-sat, house-sat, and nurtured all around her. Socially active, beloved by all, and a regular fixture at the night spots of Aventura, where her close friends would gather to drink and dance each week.
In 2017, she moved to an assisted living home in Atlanta near her grandson, where she was again loved by all who met her. She is survived by her loving niece Elisheva Ben Sheffer (Gidon); two grandsons Norman (Traci) and Spencer (Lisa); and four great-granddaughters. Donations should be made to The William Breman Jewish Home, 3150 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA. 30327. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
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