Freda Rappaport

Ithaca, NY

Freda Rappaport passed peacefully on May 30, with Saul Rappaport (her son), Carla Golden (her daughter), and Diane Carruthers (Carla’s partner, and Freda’s daughter-in-law) at her bedside. She had just enjoyed a weeklong visit from Eric Rappaport, her other son, before she succumbed to a sudden bout of pneumonia. Freda was the daughter of Joseph Menachim Mintz and Hayasura Berner, the loving companion and wife of Herman Rappaport, and the devoted working mother of Saul, Eric and Carla. She lived her whole life in Philadelphia before moving to Ithaca in January 1999 to be near her daughter. She lived at Longview from 1999-2007 and at Oak Hill Manor from 2007-2012, where she was well attended by the wonderful, incredibly hard working, and loving staff at Oak Hill Manor. Freda was a deeply empathic, politically progressive, and open-minded person. She cared about injustice of all kinds and listened with a wide-open heart to many different people’s stories. Freda worked along with her husband to support her family and to make sure her children received the best education. She also supported and encouraged her children in all their different endeavors. In the small amount of spare time she had, Freda very much enjoyed painting and her beautiful artwork graced the walls of her room at Oak Hill. Freda had an artist’s eye for all the beauty in the world including that of diverse people and the natural world of birds, flowers, and trees. Her last years were among the best of her life as she became free of the physical pain she had lived with earlier, and knew that she was deeply cared for and loved. Freda retained her empathy, sweet smile and love of beauty until the end. A burial and memorial will be held on Sunday, June 3rd at 1 pm at Greensprings Natural Cemetery at 293 Irish Hill Road, Newfield.