It's hard to talk about Lily-Rose in the past tense. My friendship with Lily-Rose began when I started working for ESRA in 2007. Lily-Rose was a very dedicated volunteer in the ESRA Raanana office since its inception, and only stopped when the office was closed in 2019. She would be there twice a week, whatever the weather, never missing her allotted days. Together with the other devoted volunteers in the office, she was there to help new and old olim and answer their questions, making them feel at home with her caring and friendly manner. She was unfailingly polite and courteous, in spite of sometimes difficult customers, innately understanding that their occasional abrasiveness was usually as a result of their stress on a particular situation.
She was one of the nicest and easiest people to work with and became a personal friend to all of us – she remembered everyone's birthdays and anniversaries, she had a good sense of humor and was very warm and loving. You knew that you could confide in her and she would give you sound advice.
Her family was so important to her, and she was so proud of all of them, and kept us all regaled with stories of their achievements, and the births of her beloved great-grandchildren.
Sadly, in recent years, the arthritis she suffered with, severely limited her activities and she could no longer get out and about, go to the gym or play kalookie (a favorite pastime), but she regularly kept in touch with friends and was surrounded by her loving and caring family.
As someone once said – it's the friends you meet on your path who make the journey worthwhile. Lily-Rose was one of those friends and I will miss her greatly.