Edith Drazin's Obituary
Edith Matlow was born January 23, 1927 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Milton and Rae (nee Resnick) Matlow, who immigrated from Vasilishok, Poland, in the ‘teens. Edith was the baby of the family, beloved by her two older brothers, George and Philip. She loved her toy Boston bull terrier, Bootsy, who she used to dress up and take for rides in the baby buggy. She was passionate about music and studied piano with Beryl Rubenstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1945, and worked as a bank teller, saving $1000 to buy a 1911 Steinway grand piano which remained her prized possession. She met Sidney Drazin in 1947. He proposed after two weeks, they were married on May 8, 1948 and remained together for 61 happy years. Sidney and Edith raised two children, Laura (b. 1953) and David (b. 1956). Edith began her musical career as organist and choir director at Beth Am Synagogue in 1966, which led to the musical direction of shows at Temple on the Heights and the JCC. She accompanied the Cleveland Jewish Singing Society under the direction of Ruben Kaplan and the Temple on the Heights cantorial concerts. She taught piano and played in countless programs in the Cleveland area, sharing her talents and bringing joy to audiences. Sidney and Edith, and their musical friends Gertrude Alpern, Shirley Markowitz, Hermine Weider and their families, and her brother Philip and his wife Marilyn (who had been a dear friend of Edith’s since their teens) had memorable musical parties where everyone performed amid gales of laughter and applause. After her children departed for college, Edith began a successful new career with Hilltop Realty/Realty One. She loved classical music, especially Debussy, Milhaud, and Poulenc. She could always be relied upon to play “The Golliwog’s Cake Walk” or the Woody Woodpecker theme song for her clamoring children. She was still a valued member of the Klezmer Orchestra of the Workman’s Circle until March of this year, where her playing was immortalized in a 2001 Harvey Pekar cartoon. Edith loved to laugh. She delighted in her film and television favorites. Her happy place was the green chair in front of the picture window in her home, where she could enjoy her pond and beautiful garden. She passed away August 26 from congestive heart failure. She is survived by daughter Laura (and husband Will Boyes of Durham NC) and David (and wife Carol Seymour of Evanston, IL) and granddaughter Adrian Boyes of New York City. Edith’s devoted cat, Daisy, moved to North Carolina. A memorial service will be held Sunday, October 16, 2016 at her home, 705 Echo Drive, Gates Mills OH 44040 at 2:00 pm.. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Cleveland Animal Protective League.
What’s your fondest memory of Edith?
What’s a lesson you learned from Edith?
Share a story where Edith's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Edith you’ll never forget.
How did Edith make you smile?