Hertha Feldmann Vanaria (98), commonly called Tante (Aunt) by most of her family, passed away on November 27th at her home in Poughquag N. Y., after a series of strokes.
Hertha was born in Vienna, Austria on September 4th, 1920. Her parents were Franzeka Leitl Watzek and Anton Henry Watzek.
At the tender age of 6 she migrated with her mother to NYC to join with her father who migrated earlier and established himself in NYC.
Tante Hertha did it the old-fashioned way, she went through the formal processing at Ellis Island. She lived with her parents and younger sister Frieda (now 92) over their family run hardware store in Bayside, NY.
She graduated from Flushing H.S.
At the age of 18 she decided to return to her native Austria and was unable to return until after WWII.
Most of her professional career was spent as the Office and Operations manager for wholesale gift companies in Manhattan such as Schmidt Brothers and Gorham-Textron.
Tante Hertha is survived by her sister Frieda Gaun (92), her nephews, Robert, Christopher and niece Laurie Gaun Shaw as well as their spouses, Ginny, Liz, and Michael Shaw, and their children, Christian, Brian, Andrew, Heather, Lukas, Katerina and Mikaela and their children Haikili, Harley, Jackson and Abigail.
In addition, the step-children of her three late husbands, Richard Neigel, Karl Feldmann, and Vincent Vanaria, their children Vincent (now deceased), Donna Ernst, Cathy, and Christine, Karl Feldmann Jr. and Lisa (Feldmann) as well as their children.
Tante was known as a sharp person, a leader, a great supporter, and a cheerleader encouraging your efforts to achieve your goals.
Tante Hertha was loved by her family and they were her greatest treasure.
Visitation and a service will take place at Beecher Funeral Home on Saturday December 1, from 10 to 11am, with a service at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice.