Brooklyn 1924 - Sarasota 2008
Elliot Livingston was my mother
Vivian's second husband, my stepfather.
He met my mom soon after she
moved to Sarasota; he had also been widowed.
Elliot and Mom were together
for about 12 years and they were great companions for each other.
They had a vibrant life together
filled with friends, food, music, theater and travel.
The lovely service for Elliot
was led by Joan Fox of the Congregation
for Humanistic Judaism in Sarasota,
which Elliot and Mom recently
joined. Congregration members also provided some poignant live music in
English and Hebrew.
The Byrds sang their 1965
classic Turn, Turn, Turn,
with its lyrics adapted from the philosophical book of Ecclesiastes, above.
Elliot was a well-liked man
of many interests and hobbies. About 80 attended his service; the chapel
was filled.
Certainly one of Elliot's
most meaningful activities was his long-term involvement as a volunteer
at Sarasota's
famous Mote
Marine Laboratory. In 2006, Mote recognized
Elliot for ten years of volunteer service.
My mom's children read poetry
and quite a few people stood up to say something about Elliot,
including my aunt Annie, my
cousin Joseph who came all the way from Las Vegas, and my cousin-in-law
Kevin,
who urged the crowd to honor
Elliot's military service in Asia during World War II.
Elliot was also remembered
fondly by his good friends Buddy and Vinnie.
It was touching to hear these
grown men talk about the meaning of Elliot's friendship in their lives.
Sarah Brightman and Andrea
Bocelli sang 1995's Con
te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye) in the original Italian.
Mom made this really nice
collage with photos and momentos representing Elliot's life (click and
click again to enlarge).
Elliot's obituary
appeared in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Elliot and Mom at the beginning
of their marriage in Vermont
looking down at the Mad River,
Warren, VT
dancing in white
Elliot playing cards with
Anneliese (both rather serious, don't you think?)
Elliot, his son Scott, daughter-in-law
Jane and grandchildren
with Tim at Mom's 70th birthday,
2007, Brielle, NJ
memorial to Elliot made by
Emily, Washington Crossing, PA
(Elliot worked for Pepsi for
many years.)
Elliot and Vivian on their
wedding day, Sarasota
RIP Elliot.
A lot of folks will miss you,
but especially Mom.
She loved you and was happy
with you. Thanks for being there for her.