Libby Melnick Obituary

Obituary

Libby was born in Brooklyn, NY on March 11, 1933.

She grew up in a small walk-up apartment in Boro Park, which she shared with her 3 siblings Arnold, Jay, and Barbara. They all shared 1 bathroom, which was very crowded but always filled with lots of love. Libby graduated from New Utrecht High School and she immediately started working as a bookkeeper. As soon as she started earning a paycheck, she began showering her boundless generosity on her mother, father, and everyone else in the family.

While she was still a teenager, she met Norman while he was selling ice cream at Brighton Beach. It didn’t take long, and at the age of 19 she and Norman married and they moved to Charleston, West Virginia. That was quite a change from her life in Brooklyn. 

Shortly after moving to West Virginia, Gail and Faye were born in quick succession. In 1958 Libby and Norman moved back to NJ. Libby’s prodigal son, David, was born in 1959. That same year Norman started his first of many businesses, and for the next 70 years, Libby worked side by side with Norman in every one of his endeavors.  

And for the 70 years that Libby was married to Norman, her family was the MOST important thing in her life. There was nothing that Libby didn’t do and wouldn’t do for her children, grandchildren, and her extended family. Her greatest joy was bringing the whole family together at their beautiful beach house in Long Beach Island, NJ.  LBI became the magnet that drew all of her children and their friends together every summer for 25 years. It wasn’t uncommon for Libby to have 20 or more people staying at the beach house at any given time. And if one of the kids asked her if there was room for just one more – the answer was always an emphatic YES. Her greatest joy was the chaos of everyone at the beach house.

Libby also had a very special and remarkable bond with her younger sister, Barbara. Libby was 16 1/2 years old when Barbara was born, and their relationship blossomed over the next 75 years. Their relationship was somewhere between mother/daughter and twin sisters. When Libby got a cold, Barbara would start sneezing even though they lived in different cities 250 miles apart. Libby and Barbara spoke every day, and most days it was 3 times a day. Libby always made sure that Barbara had nice clothes, and Barbara always made sure that Libby had the very best make-up.

Libby was the most incredibly selfless and generous person in the world. She loved helping and doing things for everyone she knew including family and friends. Throughout her life, Libby never had a harsh word for anyone. She was an incredible role model for her children, grandchildren, and her 11 great-grandchildren.

She was loved and she will be remembered and missed.

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