Obituary of Sandra Kliger Porwick
Sandra Kliger Porwick passed away peacefully at home on September 5 th , 2024, at the age of 90. She was an irrepressible force, a progressive, introspective thinker, and a visionary who created the life she sought for herself and her family.
Born on November 24 th , 1933, to Dr. Max and Julia (née Narins) Kliger in the Bronx, Sandy was a lifelong New Yorker. She graduated from The Bronx High School of Science and New York University. She was a teacher in the Bronx and later a real estate broker in Manhattan.
Sandy searched for the right life partner to manifest her life’s vision. She confided to a teaching colleague that she would really like to meet somebody. The friend set Sandy up on a blind date with Morty, also an only child of the Bronx. Morty had recently returned from being stationed in Germany with the army. When she returned home from her first date with Morty, Sandy announced to her parents that her “looking was over”. They were engaged in six weeks and married about four months after meeting. They moved from Manhattan to Jackson Heights where Nancy was born and then to Riverdale. Four years later came not one, but two babies! Julie and Evie’s arrival made it clear that they needed to make the move from their two-bedroom apartment to a house in the suburbs. Mamaroneck became both their home and community for the next 47 years.
As a woman with a progressive outlook, Sandy was a modern thinker for her generation. In addition to traditional education, she pursued alternative types of lifelong learning. She and Morty completed a certificate course in preparation for childbirth at the Maternity Center Association before Nancy was born in 1962. She read Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking soon after it was published in the early 1950s, and actively practiced its wisdom to train herself to become an optimist. She participated in “consciousness raising” groups which emphasized becoming more aware—of oneself, as well as of broader political and social issues. It may have been these courses, books, and groups that inspired her focus on speaking up, standing up for herself, and teaching her daughters these core values.
When it came to her children, Sandy was a fierce protector and constant source of encouragement. She was the perfect balance of stretch and support. She was meticulous about finding each child’s unique blend of talents. She would seek out the best activities, classes, and programs to support them to reach their individual potential. She trained the next generation of mothers in her family in her individualized approach which is reflected in the accomplishments of her grandchildren as well as her children.
While Sandy and Morty both hailed from the Bronx, Sandy always knew she wanted to live in Mamaroneck. She was familiar with Mamaroneck because she had an uncle who had a home there. She also knew she wanted three children. She could envision the life she wanted for her future family. Mort eagerly followed her plan, trusting that she knew the path forward. While his focus was more outward, with respect to community volunteering and participation, Sandy’s was more introspective, more inwardly focused and always involved learning and challenging herself. She went back to work as a real estate broker when her girls were older. She took up bridge in her early 50s and became a Life Master. She set her mind to a goal, and she went after it. She believed in digging deep and getting to the root cause of any issue or conflict to foster genuine healing. She pursued therapy for herself in her 20s after asking her parents to send her when she was a teenager, and they had said no to her. She expressed herself authentically, having grown up in a time and in circumstances when it wasn’t the style or the norm.
While Sandy was driven and determined, she was generous and sweet with those around her who took care of her at home and out in the world. The manager at her beach club wrote in response to the news of her passing, “As you know, we all LOVED her."
When she went out for her last car ride five days before her passing with two of her caregivers, they drove by her old hair salon. One of the caregivers described when Sandy used to get her hair done, she would give the caregiver some money for coffee, a bagel, a croissant, or a muffin from the deli next door. During this last drive, the caregiver went to the deli and got a blueberry muffin for Sandy to eat in the car.
Sandy’s family always came before anything else. She took immense pride in her children and grandchildren and all their accomplishments. Smart, stylish and determined, Sandy was a competitor, especially in bridge. She loved socializing, traveling, and Broadway shows.
Sandy is survived by her daughters Nancy Weiser, Julie Warshaw, Evie Porwick, her son-in-law Ned Weiser; and her grandchildren: Kate, Chloe, and Phoebe Weiser, Sadie Warshaw, Natalie, and Ethan Smith. She was predeceased in 2020 by Morton, her husband of 63 years.
A funeral service will be held at Larchmont Temple (75 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY) on Monday, September 9, beginning at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. The service may viewed via livestream here . Interment will follow immediately at Cedar Park & Beth El Cemeteries (735Forest Avenue, Paramus, NJ).
The family will sit shiva at The Cambium, 10 Byron Place, 2nd Floor, on Monday, September 9, from 3:00-8:00 p.m. A Minyan Service will be held at 7:00 p.m.
Donations in Sandy's memory may be made to Larchmont Temple https://larchmonttemple.org/donate/#:~:text=You%20may%20mail%20a%20check,or%20in%20an%20attached%20note. or Sharp Again https://sharpagain.org/donate/