Remembering Mom

Annette the Conductor – Now hand in hand with Dad.

Hello, family and friends. Today, we celebrate the life of Annette Mark, my wonderful Mom. Annette died on March 12th, 2024, at age 100.

I have a special memory of Mom on January 6th, 2024, when she celebrated her 100th birthday only a few months before her death. She was conducting a song that Mike and Mary Mark were singing, ” Only fools rush in.” It was one of her favorite songs.

At age 100, she looked fit as a fiddle and beautiful, as always. She waved her hands like Leonard Bernstein, conducting the music and making sure the song went off without a hitch, which it did.

Take a look see…

In many ways, Mom was the conductor of my life.

She taught me music, art, and dance, starting at age 6, and took me to Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts at Carnegie Hall.

Once in a while, I would object to going, and Mom would say, “But Jane, don’t you want to see the beautiful curtains when they go up on the stage? You don’t want to miss that? ” And off I would go.

After we moved to Scarsdale, she took the time to drive me into NYC to make sure I got to my guitar and piano lessons on time and my dance classes with Martha Graham and assured me I would never find the kind of teachers that I had in Manhattan in Scarsdale. I think you might say she was a bit of a NYC snob. 🙂

Music is such a huge part of my life now, and it was because of Mom that I still have my guitar, once owned by the opera star Maya Angelou, and still sing my heart out every day.

When Mom’s great grandson, Alex, turned 13, she came to his party in my loft downtown in the village. My grandson, Ryan, was very young, so Mom got to see Alex and Ryan together. As she held Ryan in her arms, I looked across the room at a sculpture of a mother and child that Mom had made when she was 16.

That sculpture was prominent in my NY loft starting in 1979 and now has a starring role in my living room in Illinois. I love that sculpture.

Every time I walk by it, it reminds me of Mom and how much she loved the arts. She was 16 when she made the Mother and Child sculpture, and although she pooh-poohed it as if it wasn’t very good, I loved it, and it will always hold a special place in my home and my heart.

Then, there was Tupper Lake, where, when I was 6 years old, Dad was already teaching me how to fly. At that time, he had a sea plane, a small, very uncomfortable two-seater, one seat in front for him and one behind. Mom sat behind, and I sat on her lap.

Up we would go, flying over the lake and the nearby mountains. Dad would never stop pointing out all the landmarks and making sure Mom and I were paying attention. He would tip the wings right and left to ensure we did not miss a thing.

I loved those flying trips until one day, we landed, and the control stick in the back seat pinched my leg during one of the landings. The next time I flew was when Dad had a plane with two seats in the front and a control wheel, so I could not get pinched.

Up we would go, and once we were up and flying, Dad would let me take the wheel so I could learn to fly. I was so proud that he let me handle the plane, but I was secretly terrified.

I think Dad might have wanted a son. When we moved to Scarsdale, he taught me how to ride a small motor scooter, and I showed it off up and down the neighborhood.

Here is where we lived in Scarsdale

Click Here

I could sum up my life with Mom and Dad like this:

Mom taught me everything I needed to know, and Dad taught me how to fly even when I was on the ground. They both conducted my life and left their indelible Mark on me for which I will forever be grateful.

And so…

The circle closes 1 year after Mom died.

Today, we raise a glass to Mom and celebrate her life.

She was the foundation of my life and, along with Dad, allowed me to fly.

Somewhere in the heavens, they are flying together hand in hand.

Love and Love
Jane

Here are some pictures that scroll through time.

Mom at Camp Regis in the Adirondacks with Bobbie and Carolyn Goodman and Andy Goodman and David Goodman and me and Mom.

Tupper Lake with Mom, me, Karen Jacoby, and Grandma Zazi.

Mom, at Alex’s 13th birthday with her two great grandsons Alex and Ryan.

Mom, Me, Andy & Frank. Dad took the picture.

Andy and Dad. Mom took the picture.

Mom, I can’t help falling in love with you.

Play it one more time