Mrs. Pearl R. Taubkin

Pearl R. Taubkin of Columbia passed away on Sept. 20, 2017 at the age of 102. She is survived by her daughter, Sandra Cowen of Columbia and son, Dr. Steven Taubkin of Melbourne FL. Sandy and her husband David had two sons, Scott and Jeff, while Steven and his now deceased wife Bobbi, had three daughters, Nicole, Beth and Meredith. Scott and his wife Janice have two daughters, Mara and Bridget; Jeff and his wife Rachel have a daughter, Maddie and three sons, Bernard and Dylan and Jeremy Basurto; Nicole and husband Ken Dietz have five children, Elisheva, Avigayil, Yossi, Nesanel, and Gavriella; Meredith and her husband Benjamin Martinez, have two children, Oliver and Maya, making a total of 13 great grandchildren. This summer Pearl had special visits from recently married Dylan and his wife Kaitlyn and from newly-weds Elisheva and her husband Daniel. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity meet Jeremy’s wife Ynez and her only great great grandchild Ozzy. Affectionately known as GG, Pearl glowed with joy on the occasions when members of the family from the North, South, East and West were able to get together. Pearl was born and raised in Brooklyn NY and was a proud graduate of one of the first classes of Brooklyn College. She grew up with her older sister Flo and younger brother Teddy. Before she married, Pearl worked for the Post Office, where she had many interesting experiences, including one involving a gun which she kept behind the counter. She met Bernie at the beach. He was very impressed with her handball and bridge skills, as well as her good looks. They were married in 1937 and started their lives together in Brooklyn. Bernie enlisted in the Air Force during WWII. Steven was born during the War in 1943 and Sandy right after. Following the War, Bernie and Pearl moved their young family into a new VA financed house in Roslyn on Long Island. During the decades of the 50’s and 60’s Pearl enjoyed her role as a suburban homemaker. She was an active member of Hadassah, which recently honored her with a lifetime membership award. After the children went off to college, she went to work for the New York State Department of Labor where she helped match workers to new jobs. Pearl outlived her beloved Bernie by 44 years. After his death, she continued to work for the State until she reached retirement. During much of the decades of the 80’s and 90’s she lived with her sister, brother-in-law and niece in Roslyn. In 2007, she moved into an apartment in Columbia SC where she could be near Sandy, David and Scott’s family. Even in her early 90’s Pearl was a fierce bridge player. Once she moved to NHC Parkland nursing home, her favorite activities were playing bridge against the computer on her iPad and receiving visits from the Richland County library “Books To You” program. Pearl placed a great premium on education. Even last week she was reminiscing about specific courses she had taken in a scattered set of buildings that constituted Brooklyn College in the early 30’s. Of course, she was proud that Steven became a physician but she was also proud that Sandy earned her master’s degree and had a successful career in IT at the University of South Carolina. One of the final highlights of Pearl’s life was the visit from Steven, Beth, Nicole’s entire family including Daniel, along with most of the Columbia family. She was thrilled to hear her young adult great grandchildren and some special friends talking about college courses, Medical School and graduate schools. In her final days, she could not stop talking about how special every member of her family is, each one an individual with their own special skills and interests. She was delighted that the diverse members of her family all got along and enjoyed each other’s company. Pearl especially loved seeing the youngest members of the family, Oliver, Gavriella and Maya playing together. Unfortunately Pearl had to spend the last five years of her life in a nursing home where she never developed a taste for southern food. Until the very end, she had a keen, sharp mind. She loved to watch Morning Joe and truly believed that under Donald Trump, the country had never been in worse shape – strong words from someone who lived through the depression and WWII. Pearl’s final wish was that her family continue to share moments together.

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Mrs. Pearl R. Taubkin

May 20, 1915 - September 20, 2017