Evelyn Alda Seckler

Evelyn Alda Seckler (Jan. 11, 1926 – Apr. 13, 2020), daughter of Leopold Mehler and Tillie Friedman, passed peacefully from coronavirus complications three days after her devoted husband, Bernie. Together, they raised their family in Great Neck, NY. She leaves behind daughter Judy (Peter Nomura); son Stephen (Jenny Gamson) and adored grandchildren Gilad, Ari, and Maya.Life began for Evelyn on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, an area overflowing with Jewish immigrants. With her two older brothers, she lived in the back of her father’s dry goods store. Her life was full of classes, religious school and music lessons on piano and mandolin. Relatives lived close by and the family escaped to the Catskill Mountains during summers. Evelyn’s life can be measured by the many milestones she accomplished: she was the first person in her family to graduate from college (Brooklyn College), and later earned a Master’s in psychology. She and Bernie married in 1953. They left Brooklyn for Queens in 1964, and as her children grew, she and Bernie sang in the local chorus, attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera and live theater on Broadway. Evelyn had a rewarding career as a school psychologist for the New York City Board of Education. She also took pride in her daughter’s design studies at Cornell University and her son’s Northeastern law degree. She never lost her love of the mountains, her grandchildren, visiting friends and relatives in far-off places, talk radio, Tanglewood concerts and bargain shopping at garage sales.  A private burial will be held Thurs. and a virtual memorial will take place Sat. Please contact info@brezniakfd.com for more details. Donations in Evelyn’s memory may be made to: democrats.org; cancer.org, and pbs.org.