- Date Of Birth: February 14, 1955
- Date Of Death: October 8, 2017
- State: North Carolina
Isabelle Allende, in ‘House of the Spirits’ once mused that there is no death, only being forgotten. And by that measure, Gracie is defiantly, definitely still alive, because not only did she live a life of joy and purpose, she left us all with indelible memories. She will not be forgotten.
Gracie was many things —- a native of Caracas, Venezuela, fluent in five languages, a community organizer, mother of Aaron and Jordan, sister of Silvia and Gilberto, teacher of Judaica to adult learners in her temple, naturalized US citizen and a veteran of a range of professional occupations.
But more than anything, Gracie lived a life of vibrancy, curiosity and caring.
The youngest of three children, Gracie grew up in Caracas, the daughter of European emigres Leo and Henrietta Herzog, who left Belgium in 1942. Venezuela was not a chosen destination, but rather, the first nation to welcome them and their fellow passengers. They spoke French at home, Spanish outside it, and Gracie learned English at 12, during a short stint in suburban NY while her father worked with fashion houses in the city.
In Caracas, Gracie went to Hebrew school, and later, did kibbutz in Israel, before starting undergraduate at Douglas College/Rutgers University, transferring to Boston University for her final two years. Upon graduation, she attended and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in NY, with a master’s degree in management science. One of the few female graduates at that time in that discipline, she parlayed that experience into a position at a statistical firm in the 128 Corridor (a precursor to the West Coast’s Silicon Valley), but decided to broaden her horizons and she took a position in brand management in Louisville, Kentucky, where she met her future husband, Bob. Along the way, they moved to Dallas, Texas, got married and started a family — Aaron and Jordan —- before they moved again, to North Carolina, where Gracie became a full-time mom, which included leadership in about every group the boys were parts of. A final move to the Triangle in 1992 resulted in a great place to live and raise her two sons, where she embraced community and school activities, often leading and managing fund raising, and acting as Team Mom for Aaron and Jordan’s teams. As they grew, she helped them prepare for their bar mitzvahs, get ready for SATs and visit the colleges they were considering. Bob and Gracie divorced in the early 2000’s but remained close and supportive of their two sons, co-parenting through their teen years.
Always curious and passionate, in the last few years, Gracie decided to refresh and improve one of her languages and to live that language by spending extended periods in Italy. True to character and predilection, her first trip there, she traveled alone and stayed at an AirBnB residence in Venice. Along the way, she made friends wherever she traveled and, inevitably, fit into her surroundings. She was really good at that —because she was an active, passionate, social being. And that was true wherever she went, whoever she met. She was truly a citizen of the world.
And she left this world with the style, grace and spirit she showed and lived while in it.
So, in Allende’s terms, she will be missed, for sure, but never forgotten. And those who knew her can say, collectively, Brava, Graciela!
Or just smile at the next person you see….
m. Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at Judea Reform Congregation 1933 W. Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC 27705
