Vera Isenberg, 89, of Kansas City, Mo., passed away on Nov. 14, 2014, after a short illness. She was born June 11, 1925, in Hamburg, Germany, to Erich and Nettie Friedberger. She moved to San Francisco in 1947 where she met Ernest, her husband, friend and partner for over 55 years. He preceded her in death in 2005.
The newlyweds moved to Kansas City in 1949 and in between raising a family of four children, worked at Western Extralite Company until her passing. She is survived by her four children and their spouses, John and Jenny Isenberg, Tom and Ann Isenberg, Walter and Christie Isenberg, and Carol and Tom Barnett, and by grandchildren Amy, Allison and Adam Isenberg, Kate and David Isenberg, Nicole and Tirunesh Isenberg, Jami and Brian Gallagher, Amber and Mike Pigg, Samantha Barnett, and great-grandchildren Tyler, Dylan and Connor Gallagher, and Lola Pigg, and her nephew, Roger Friedberger.
Vera leaves a wonderful legacy of human accomplishment. Her positive spirit, her compassion for others and the ability to look reality square in the eye serve as an inspiration for all who met her. She took pride in everything she did. She was a great cook and baker. “Oma” cookies will be missed by all who had the delight in having them. She loved to exercise and did Pilates and yoga weekly. She played golf into her early 80s and loved to walk around Loose Park. Her favorite spot was “her” bench in the Rose Garden which she visited as recently as last Sunday. She loved music and regularly attended performances at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the Harriman-Jewell concerts with her dear friends, Prudence and Robert True. Her favorites were the three “B’s” — Brahms, Beethoven and Bach. She was adventurous and took great delight in a recent trip to Italy. She attended the Royals Wild Card Game and took some credit in their great victory. Her life philosophy, “Look Forward,” is one that will guide us all.
She will be missed by all who knew her.
Funeral services were held at Congregation Beth Torah on Sunday, Nov. 16; burial in Mount Moriah Cemetery, South.
The family suggests memorial contributions to Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts or to the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.