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Please send us your remembrances so that we can share them here. I met Gerti almost twenty years ago at an exercise class at the Senior Center. When the class was over, this beautiful lady with a smile as big as all outdoors, approached me and asked if I knew where the local bus stopped, so she could get back to Mendocino. I told her I was going there and I'd be happy to take her home. That was the beginning of a wonderful and enduring friendship. She was visiting Mickie from Tejunga. Everytime I went to Los Angeles to visit my family, she would invite me to stay with her for at least a night. And she would introduce me to her many, many friends of many years. The most wonderful thing about Gerti was that she knew how to be a friend. Her first thought was always "you" - what did you need or want and how could she provide it for you. She always came second. She had a warm and generous heart and the minute people met her, they recognized that in her and instantly fell in love with her. We had so many memorable times together. When she wanted to move up to Mendocino, Mickie asked me if I knew of any apartments that were available. I had just moved into an apartment on Little Lake and coincidently, there was a lovely cottage on the same land that was coming up for rent. Mickie produced a big banner that read "Welcome Gerti" - and in she moved. She lived happily there, across the field from me, for almost ten years. We visited daily and talked on the phone every day and developed a warm friendship. To know her was to love her - and I did. Gerti - we'll never forget you. Love, Bonnie 
From Casey Sater (Gerti's Niece)it must have been 1991 or 1992...i was invited to give a speach at an all girl high school in la crescenta. since Gerti lived nearby she came to hear me and then we went out to lunch...she told me the story of her dog charlie, and how she had taught him to doven, and with the high holidays coming, she was working with him day and night..one day she took Charlie to the vet and on the way home as she was passing her synagog, she noticed that there were many cars in the parking lot, so she decided to go in..the rabbi and the cantor, many board members, the president to the brotherhood, etc were seated around a table when gerti entered the room and asked if they had someone to blow the shofar at the high holiday services..the answer was yes. Gerti said that she had someone in the car, someone who could blow the shofar better than enyone she had heard before, and asked if she could bring him in so they too could hear.. she went out to the car and brought her dog Charlie into the rabbi's study and loudly sang out TEKEEAH...the people around the table shot looks at one another and charlie lookd at gertie as though he had never seen her before...again she sang out TEKEEAH...and again...nothing! she left the synagog with her beloved charlie and went home. that evening, with a house full of friends and family, she tried again..she sang out TEKEEAH and with his head pointed to the heavens, with almost perfect pitch, charlie started to howl and gave a preformance unlike any other. gerti realized that he would only preform at home, and the two of us had the best laugh. i truly loved gerti, i always felt loved, cared for understood and a sense of belonging when i was with her. she always remembered my birthday and anniversary with lovely cards and the nicest sentiments. she had a wonderful sense of humor. i always felt good being around her. my heart goes out to you and the family. i will forever remember my dearest aunt Gerti and one of the kindest people i had ever known. love, Casey Celia Parker (Gerti's Cousin) I was just turned 17 when I left my family's home in LA, but I remember Gertie...and Fred...from so many parties at Evy and Herb's. We had loads of fun together. Gertie was always game: clever, adventurous, ready to laugh. Smart, too, even though her voice suggested silliness! Celia Clarire Solomon (friend) Mere words can't express the deep feeling I had for Gerti. She was a loving person who gave from her heart. I will miss her unconditional freindship. Claire From Danny and Saundra Carnahan (friends) She really mothered us all and I will forever picture her happily wandering around the Woodlands. Danny and Saundra Margaret Goddard (friend) What an exceptional person she was!! I'm so pleased that I was able to meet her, our world is a richer place because of her. Margaret Jhos Singer (friend) There is no question what so ever that Gertie's memory will be for a blessing. She was a light and a hoot and one hell of a cookie maker. Jhos Philip Gelb (friend) Your mom was a gem and i adored her and really enjoyed my conversations and interaction with her at the camp. Her smiling face and loving attitude in the front office was one of the many joys of the Lark experience for me (and many others). She seemed to really enjoy the camp and was quite fascinated by all the different people and ways of expression she was encountering. Phil Kristan Willits (friend) I see her as a bright blue bird who will be visiting and watching over us always. Kris Lisa Bell, Tom Williard and Brian and Eric (friends) Gertrude led a very rich life, in great part due to the love of family, music and friendship that you all shared. Lisa Erik Hoffman (friend) She always brought joy and humor to camp; she will be missed. Erik Melanie Wellner (friend) For those of us who knew her and her wonderful baking, she will remain the camp grandma. Melanie Andrea Lehrer (friend) I had some really special visits and phone calls with her and was always amazed at how interested and active and curious and caring her mind was. When I think of her it is like thinking of a treasure. Andrea Rod Cameron (friend) At age, 89, she lived a full life, and we all knew that she was never more alive than when she was in the middle of a human adventure, participating to the full. Mickie and family saw to it that Gertie's life had, if anything, a surplus of human adventures for her to be a part of, and arranged to have some seven hundred pals to come visit over the years at Lark Camp. That's the kind of thing my mother would have liked as the years wore on! Gertie's gracious coffee-time treats were only one of many contributions she made, and the English Country Dance Band over the years had to sometimes loosen the belt a notch or two when tempted by her great, home baking! Rod Terry Hallowes (friend) Camp will not be the same without her smiling face and playful spirit. Terry Ronnie James (friend) I treasure my memories of time spent with Gertie, she taught me a lot and was always a joy to talk to, we especially enjoyed out 'girl-talk' and grandma conversations. Ronnie Brian and Marianne Steeger (friends) Yes, we remember her well as the "Camp Grandma". She must have been a great sport to put up with all our shenanigans and musical ululations over the years. Brian and Marianne Lynne Cohen (friend) Gerti has always been a wonderful, adorable lady and so lovely to be with. She treated my parents kindly and helped us when my dad died, and then whenİmy mom passed awayİtwo weeks after my dad she was there once again for us. I will miss her for the rest of my life. She was always very very very special. I remember SHNOPSY, THE DOG, and Gertie's great sense of humor. Lynne Gudrun Brunot (friend) She'll be missed--such a gentle spirit. Not in vain was she thought of as the Lark grandma--a sweet and kind word for everyone. Gudrun Betsy Abrams (friend) Gertie's cookies will always be remembered by our family. She greeted us each year at camp as we stood in line waiting to register. Seeing Gertie made us feel like to had arrived at camp. I have includedİher recipe and the story of Gertie in a few community cookbooks. In recent years she would tell me that I was the most sophisticated woman she had ever met and she couldn't believe I was on the clean-up crew. We always had a good laugh over that comment. I will miss seeing her. Betsy Jody Swift (Levy) (friend) Gerti! Always kind and elegant. I remember(our going back decades), dinners with Fred, Mickie and Cait in Tujunga ( her door was always open! and the dog, Charlie roll over!), many faires, concerts,trade shows, girl talk at Lark camp 2005 when I made a rare appearance, and my last call to her from Paris. So positive and loving. Jody Lynn Kieswetter (friend) Gertie has passed on. I will always remember her the first time I met her at camp about 20 years ago; she made me feel more welcome than anyone. Lynn Cassandra Auerbach (friend) Gertie was a dear, dear friend of mine. She was always so interested in those around her and being supportive to others! It was a privilege to know her, talk with her, and to count her as a friend. Cassandra Nick Hoffman (friend) I'm terribly sorry to hear about your loss. She was an incredibly special lady. I remember growing up visitng the Lark store in Mendo and her always being there. Her pressence made the place seem that much more amazing. This sweet adorable grandmother caring for her cottage filled with strange and wonderful instruments. Later on when Marina and me became friends, she was always so excited when we visited her. Especially, when we visited her what turned out to be the last time. I will always remember her smile, warmth and general concern for everyone. Nick WB Reid (friend) My memory of Gerti holding down that end of the dining hall all those years is quite clear. Once I saw her at registration time, I knew I was at Lark. It's good that you were able to include her in camp. WB Michael Amitin (friend) It was 1985 I think when Gertie first shared her excitement about Lark camp with me on a visit to LA. After a few years and nudgings, I figured I'd give it a try. The following year '86 I came to camp and every year after for 10 straight years. The camp delivered some of the most memorable times and experiences of my entire life. And, of course always, after the long hard drive north, there to greet me with a warm hug and welcoming smile was dear Gertie. The first years knowing that I didn't know many of the people who came to camp, she made an extended effort to introduce me to people and when she saw me around the grounds always asked how things were going and about my family. She was one of the rare gems we're lucky to rub up against in this short lifetime, and will be missed but mostly remembered with fond recollections and of course warm exuberant smiles. Michael John McClure (friend) She was a lovely smart woman with a feisty attitude and a profound loyalty to the people and things that she loved. İI am truly proud to have known her. John Christina Garner (friend) My memories of her are clear and vivid and I honor both of you for helping to create the institution of Lark Camp that has been so memorable for our family over the years. Christina Sue Williard (friend) She was one of those rare people who made everyone feel comfortable and cared for - she was a standout. We'll all be missing her kind presence in years to come. Sue Paul and Candy Anderson (friends) What a beautiful soul she was! Although this is the first time I've heard her called the Lark Camp Grandma, it is such a fitting title that can only be earned by someone as kind as she was. There were some times, especially in the first years I came to camp, that Gerty would come up and talk to me to make me feel more at home. Bless her heart! Paul and Candy Judy Stavely (friend) She was such a warm and special person. I always felt that she took a special interest in me and my family. She would ask after each one of my daughters long after they were grown and gone from Mendocino. And she always remembered them when they were able to make it back to Lark. I know that I am not the only one who felt this way, because she seemed to have a special place in her heart for all of us. I'll always remember ther behind the registration desk at Lark - especially during the years I drove the shuttle. She helped to keep us organized! Judy Jewel Cardinet (friend) Remembering Gerti- Here sweet and gentel spirit- Her caring an love for her family- The noodle pudding she prepared for potlucks- Whe was truly mother and grandmother to many of us. We mourn her passing and will keep her memory alive. Jewel Ian, Wanda, Julia & Amy Law (friends) We all love her so much and she was olike one of our family members. She was indeed a grandmother to many people Ian, Wanda, Julia & Amy Larry Rosenthal (friend) Inside Gerti was the music and the love that unites us in Lark community. She spread it, she adored it, she sourced it. She was the light day and night inside that dining hall and on the steps outside and on the way down to her little trailer and back up those steps. What a pleasure to know you Gerti, to see you a week out of every year going way way back, and now to cherish your beloved memory, as sturdy inside us all as the oldest redwood standing tall forever in our soil. Larry Barbara Mendelsohn (cousin) What a dear and wonderful person she was, so warm and gentle and kind. I will truly miss her. Barbara David Chadwick (friend) It was all our loss. Gerti was so sweet. Always a smile and a kind word. Her presence always made one feel welcome and at ease. She was the essence of positiveness that we know as Lark. Camp won't be the same without her. David Jama Chaplin>br> My favorite memories: her smile when I brought her flowers. The way I would hustle, years ago when I was on crew in Camp One, to have the dining hall on the registration side nice and clean before she came in in the morning. She was an early bird!! and I hated it when I was late and she would sweep or something. Usually shortly after that, another motivator for me. Jama Mark Mckinnon (friend) She was a lovely woman who was such a sweet presence at Lark. We will miss her a lot Mark Chanda Morgan (friend & caregiver) I want you to know how blessed I was to get to know Gerti. She shared with me wonderful stories of her life. How she adored, worried and loved you all. We shared laughs and tears and many embraces. Despite all she went through she always put others over herself. She always worried she was asking me to do too much for her. Had she only known how little she did ask of me. Gerti was a very special one of a kind lady with a gentle soul. I will always remember her. Chanda Rob Gretzner (friend) I will alweay remember her as warm and welcoming from my first years at camp with my mom. They aloways had a good visit and Gerti made my mom feel especially welcome. Gudrun and I have a litle stuffed bear that we bought from Gerti one year - it is a nice little rememberance Rob Email them to us please. Gertrude Zekley Website |