Zelda Eileen Kurit

Zelda Eileen Kurit, 86, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2023 in Palm Desert, California. Eileen was the youngest daughter of Michael and Rose Friedman of Cleveland, OH. She was married to her beloved husband, Herb, for 66 beautiful and loving years since June 9, 1957.  They met on a blind date in Cleveland and it was love at first sight.  Their marriage was a real love story, and they truly adored each other for every one of their 66 years together. She is survived by her three treasured daughters and son-in-laws, Suzee Cohen (Jim), Debbi Goldman (Allan), and Julie Schy. Her adoring grandchildren are Shane Goldman (35), Shelbi Goldman Sasson (33) (Alon), Brandon Cohen (33) (Caroline), Jordan Cohen (30), and Savannah Schy (28). She was so excited about the newest little additions to the family, her three great-grandchildren Ella Sasson (21 months), Colette Cohen (17 months), and Callum Cohen (1 month). Eileen\'s grandchildren looked up to her so much that two of them even named their children for her. Ella was named for her, as well as Callum, through his middle name Emmett. Her oldest sister Evelyn Alpiner of Phoeniz, AZ, preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister Beverly Blank of Encino, CA. She had a large extended family of sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, aunts, and uncles. She loved corresponding with them all through phone calls, visits, and cards throughout her life. All her family members said that she was always so interested in keeping up with their lives and she never forgot a birthday or special occasion. Born January 31, 1937 in Cleveland, Eileen had a very happy childhood and always enjoyed observing the Jewish holidays and celebrating joyous occasions surrounded by family. She enjoyed playing piano, going to baseball games, and riding her bike.  After she met the love of her life, Herb, when she was 19, they had a quick engagement and after they married, they moved to Buffalo, NY, where Suzee was born.  Then they made their way to Denver, CO, where Debbi was born. In 1961, they moved to Los Angeles where Julie was born. They bought their first house in Woodland Hills and created a warm and loving home for their young family. Eileen was the ultimate homemaker, always going above and beyond to make everything just right for Herb and her three daughters.  She loved to cook but especially loved to bake, and her specialty was the magical birthday colored coconut cakes she made for her daughters in various animal shapes.  And nothing made us more excited than her special chocolate chip cookies. She loved planning all of our birthday and holiday parties, and our numerous summer pool parties, with special food, creative decorations, and games. Gardening was also a passion of hers since her childhood and she loved making her own flower arrangements for our home.  She was a consummate perfectionist when it came to taking care of the family home and there was never anything out of place. She was a Brownie leader, homeroom mother, PTA member, served on numerous committees, and thoroughly involved in all aspects of Herb\'s and her daughters\' lives. She loved sewing, and was always doing arts and crafts projects and baking with her daughters. Eileen was involved in her temple\'s Sisterhood, along with volunteering for many organizations throughout her life including Head Start, Arts Council, Koreh LA, Gardening Club, Sunshine Club, and many more. She also took several classes at the local college. By this time, the family had moved to Northridge, and she continued to keep busy both for the family and also for herself. Eileen loved to exercise, belonged to a women\'s fitness center, and ate very healthy, even before it was a trend.  Her daughters jokingly called her the \"Food Police\" because she always knew if any of us snuck an extra cookie or two, and this was always good for a laugh around the house. Eileen and Herb then moved to Encino, Calabasas, and finally to Palm Desert, where they spent the last 20 years in Sun City. Every Sunday, Eileen planned a special family outing ranging from going bowling, mini golf, going to the zoo, museums and plays, fairs, festivals, amusement parks, the latest fun restaurants, and so much more.  These Sundays were such a cherished part of our childhood.  Playing board games, cards and doing puzzles were a constant in our family.  This has continued until the present and is one of the main ways we have spent time together as a family, including with the grandchildren, who loved nothing more than a rousing game of Mexican Train with \"Grandma\" and \"Papa.\" For the past twenty years, Eileen and Herb had enjoyed weekly game and dinner nights with their group of friends.  The two of them would play gin rummy almost every night, plus a variety of other games as well. She liked to challenge herself and there always seemed to be a 1000 piece puzzle out that she was working on.  She has also been a lifelong book lover and has read voraciously since she was a child, and always had her Kindle with her. Eileen has always had an incredible appreciation and eye for beauty in all of her surroundings  This was reflected in every aspect of her life, from her clothes, to her art collection, landscaping, and even in ordinary items like dishes and housewares. She had a real knack for decorating all the houses she has ever lived in and always added her own special and unique touches. Everything having to do with arts and culture were very important to her, and she never missed a museum exhibit, the latest play, ballet, or home and garden tour. Traveling was one of her greatest passions in her life and she and Herb went to an incredulous 170 countries. Their travel bug that started in the 1970s turned into a 40 plus-year obsession. Eileen and Herb took their daughters on numerous road trips all around California, vacations to other states and countries, and cruises in China, Russia, Scandinavia, and more, which were unusual destinations in the 1980s.  They have been everywhere from the North Pole to Antarctica and truly everywhere in between.  Their favorite means of travel was expedition cruising. According to Herb, Eileen was a brave and fearless traveler. Over the years, many of their trips were spent with various friends and family, and also some with their grandchildren as well. Africa, which they traveled to fifteen times, was their favorite place to visit and that joy spilled into her love of wearing her signature animal print clothes, having an entire room decorated with an African theme, and collecting elephant artifacts, amongst other African art. Eileen loved carefully planning out every element of their trips along with Herb. The stories and adventures they have experienced together are truly synonymous with who they are. Their zest for travel was passed down to their children and their grandchildren who all relished in hearing about their travel escapades. Even though Eileen had many hobbies and interests, nothing held a candle to her family.  She always looked forward to hearing what was happening in the lives of her daughters and grandchildren. Every day she delighted in looking at new photos on her digital frame, especially of her great-grandchildren. Eileen had an extremely happy, full, and blessed life and it was all due to Herb, the love of her life, who she had the privilege of sharing the last 67 years with, which includes the year before they were married. What a wonderful life. Please make donations in her memory to the American Cancer Society.