Obituary of Bella Shawn

Bella Shawn of Monticello, NY, passed away at home on Thursday, April 27, 2017.  She was 96 years old. 

Bella was born on June 20, 1920, in Czentechowa, Poland, to the late Malka Ledderman and Yakov Isaac Fryschman.  During World War II, she was imprisoned in a concentration camp in Poland but, the strong and resilient woman that she always proved to be, Bella survived and, together with her husband Julian, fled Poland by hiding on a train bound for Paris.  Because there were armed guards in the city trying to prevent people from coming in, Bella and Julian jumped off the train before it got to Paris but managed to eventually make it into the city to meet up with family.

In 1958, Bella, Julian, and their two children left Europe behind, boarded the Queen Mary, and set sail for New York.  While Julian headed up the butcher shop at the Concord Resort Hotel for over 30 years, Bella worked from home as a professional – and incredible – seamstress, designing all of her own clothes as well as clothes for family and friends.

All of Bella’s 11 siblings predeceased her, as did Julian, who passed away in 1999. Bella is survived by her son, Henri Shawn and his wife, Barbara, of Monticello, NY, and daughter, Monique Elmani of Brooklyn, NY.  She is also survived by her granddaughters Melissa Shawn Blane, Erica Shawn Gold, and Nadine Elmani, her grandson, Jeremy Elmani, and her great-grandchildren Sammy, Payton, Scarlett, and Jake. 

A funeral service will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2017at 12:00 noon at Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home Inc., 388 Broadway, Monticello, NY 12701. Burial will immediately follow at the Landfield Avenue Synagogue Cemetery, Thompson Road, Monticello, NY.

Shiva will be held at the home of Henri and Barbara Shawn in Monticello, NY.

Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home Inc. - Monticello; to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.josephngarlickfuneralhome.com.