Gertrude Jeanne Birnbaum

Gertrude Jeanne Birnbaum ("Jeanne") was born on February 7, 1929 in New York and passed away on December 24, 2020 due to complications from COVID. She was predeceased by her husband Ruben Birnbaum. Early on in their marriage, she fearlessly accompanied him in his small plane as he trained for his pilot's test, practicing stalls and other airborne stunts. Together, they raised their three daughters in Yonkers.

Jeanne grew up in Chappaqua, New York and was a graduate of Alfred University, where she earned her degree as a registered nurse. In that capacity, she worked at several hospitals, caring for patients in many different circumstances, with a bright smile and engaging personality. Jeanne eventually became a company nurse caring for employees who were sick or injured in the workplace and was universally beloved by those she cared for.

She was stubbornly independent and frugal, and she lived in the same home in Yonkers where she raised her three children for more than 60 years. She loved her cats, nature, and flowers - especially those at the NY Botanical Garden, where she loved to visit. She also loved the smell of jasmine, the aurora borealis, rootbeer floats, and mariachi music. In her 70's and 80's, Jeanne's adventurous spirit carried her to Machu Picchu and the Galápagos Islands, and back to Marlboro Beach, Maine where she spent many summers as a young child. She braved the freezing Maine water well into her 80's, so that she could join her grandchildren in their Dick's Rock adventures.

She is survived by her three daughters - Dr. Adrienne Birnbaum (Dr. David Esses); Dr. Nichole South (Paul South) and Jocelyn Hurwitz (Scott Hurwitz) and her seven amazing grandchildren - Danielle and Michael Esses, Annabelle, Natalie and Juliana South, and Max and Adam Hurwitz, who were her proudest accomplishment and the light of her life.