Obituary of Justine Trattner

Justine Trattner passed away in her sleep on July 20, 2016 in Albany, New York. She was 93. Born in New York City on October 17, 1922, she was the only child to Gertrude Issacssen Young and Harold Young. She earned degrees from the NYU School of Social Work and Teachers College at Columbia University. In 1946, she married George Trattner, who she always remembered as the love of her life after he passed away in 1967. She is survived by her daughters, Karen and Dana, and her grandchildren, Adam and Peter Norlander and Reid and Gina Stevensen. She also leaves behind two loving sons in law, Gerry and Jeff, and Peter's wife, Monica. Her passion was children. She began teaching in the City, moved to New Rochelle with George to raise a family and resumed her career in the New Rochelle City Schools where she taught elementary school children for almost 40 years. She fostered creativity, self-confidence and a love of learning in her students. With her love of theater and the arts, her classes are remembered for the musical plays they wrote, produced and performed on the school stage each year. Justine lived life to the fullest – she served as a summer volunteer in the Teach Corp in Sierra Leone, enjoyed extensive world travel and made new friends wherever she went. Highly spirited and independent, she fought for social justice and stood up for what she believed in. Through the years in New Rochelle, she developed an extraordinarily close circle of lifetime and loving friends. As her health declined, she moved to Albany in 2014 to be closer to members of her immediate family. The family gives special thanks to her devoted caregivers at the Eddy Village Green in Cohoes, N.Y. for the loving care they gave her each day and to those at Rensselaer Community Hospice who gave her and her family, support, encouragement and comfort. If you wish to make a donation in her memory, please consider the Eddy Village Green or Community Hospice in Rensselaer. In accordance with her wishes, Justine was buried beside her late husband, George, at New Hope Cemetery in Hastings on Hudson at a small private family service on July 24th. A celebration of her life to be announced