Ricky Spitzer Rapoport's Obituary
Ricky Spitzer Rapoport (nee Rhoda Lebowitz)
Ricky’s parents (Joe and Rose) each came to the US as children of immigrating parents: her father’s family came from Hungary, her mother’s from Ukraine (at the time part of the Russian empire), after a few years in Denmark. They met, working in factories in Manhattan, and married in 1925. Ricky was born in 1931, the second of two children. (Her brother Marty was born in 1926.)
As Ricky grew up, her father built and managed “tourist cottages,” first in the north Bronx and then near Orlando, FL. The family returned to New York for her high school years, and she graduated from James Monroe High School in the Bronx. She met George Spitzer, an immigrant from Hungary, and they married in 1951, as George was finishing his stint in the US Army.
They settled in the Bronx, where George developed a career as a free-lance window trimmer, mostly for men’s wear and luggage stores. They had their son Craig in 1953 and their son Jeff in 1958. In 1963, they moved to Emerson, NJ, a NYC suburb. With both children now in school, Ricky returned to work as a bookkeeper, a skill she developed before her children were born. After a job or two in the Emerson area, she was hired as the bookkeeper for a travel agency in Closter, NJ. There, she found her calling. She became the agency’s office manager and then became a travel agent. For the next 30 years or so, planning travel and traveling herself became her passion.
In 1975, George got an opportunity to be part of a group that took over Bentley’s, a chain of luggage stores in Florida. Ricky and George moved south to Miami to pursue this opportunity. In Florida, Ricky managed a travel agency in the Dadeland area and became very active in Hadassah. George worked at Bentley’s until his retirement, after which Ricky and George moved to Delray Beach, FL. Just before his retirement, George developed lung cancer, eventually passing away in 2000. Two years later, Ricky met Irv Rapoport, a retired optometrist, through a relative who attended temple with him. He was also widowed. They quickly developed a strong bond, and they married in 2003. After eleven wonderful years together, Irv passed away from Parkinson’s Disease in 2014.
A few years later, Ricky moved to Byron Park, a senior living complex in Walnut Creek, CA, near her son Craig. She lived there for six years and was president of the Resident Council and was a Resident Ambassador, welcoming new residents into the community.
Ricky was a strong, intelligent woman who eventually led almost every organization she was involved in. She had a lifelong love of Scrabble and became a dedicated Rummikub player at Byron Park. She will be missed by her family, many friends, and all those whose lives she touched.
Ricky is survived by her sons Craig and Jeff and his wife Joanie, Grandchildren Jon and his partner Shannon, Debbie and her husband Marc, Donna and her husband Jeff, and her great-grandchildren Lucy and AJ.
Those wishing to honor Ricky with a memorial contribution are kindly encouraged to consider a donation to Hadassah at:
https://www.hadassah.org/
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