Editor’s note: To make the online memorials special, we accept articles written by someone in the branch. Include fond memories, appreciation for her activities in the branch, whether she was an art, letters or music member, and something about her creative works and achievements. Always include date and age at time of death. Please also send photos of the member and of her work, or commentary about her creativity. Submissions for the In Memoriam webpage follow the deadlines for the The Pen Woman magazine.

We honor the lives of these departed Pen Women…

Norma Slavit, Santa Clara County Branch

Norma Slavit, 93, died on October 12, 2024, in San Jose, California. She was an active member of the Santa Clara County Branch for 12 years. A retired master teacher, she taught in the elementary schools of New Rochelle, New York, San Francisco, and Los Gatos, California.

She was a newspaper editor for the Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, California, for 13 years and active in the Jewish community. Her articles and feature stories have appeared in educational journals, magazines, and newspapers. Norma has two published plays to her credit, and an early story appeared in the Encyclopedia Britannica reading series for children.

Norma loved to write and authored five children’s books in her retirement. She was a delightful storyteller. She attended a memoirs class, of which I was also a member, where she would entertain the class with her life memories. Several of her memoirs are published in an anthology book, Best of Our Memoirs.

Several times, Norma and I planned our book releases and book signings together. She had connections and managed to get us publicized in the newspapers. We had so much fun doing this together and became dear friends.

Most of all, Norma loved her family and talked often about her beautiful children and grandchildren. One of her most recent books, Bubbe, the Wind, and Me, (Bubbe is the Yiddish name for grandmother) was a poem she wrote about a grandmother and granddaughter.

Rabbi Dana Magat wrote the foreword and expressed it so well: “I think on some level, anyone can relate to this book, but it is extra special for a grandchild and grandparent. For those of us who are blessed with grandchildren, we understand how dear and precious our grandchildren truly are in our lives. For as we follow the wind, we recognize that we are part of a family chain from one generation to the next. And in the end, our grandchildren’s hearts are our homes.”

— Submitted by Luanna K. Leisure

ShaRon Haugen, Santa Clara county Branch

Sharon Haugen,art member since 1992, died in November 2024.  She held the office of branch president at one time and branch treasurer at another.

ShaRon was enthusiastic about Pen Women and her passion was contagious. Often, she and I would visit different art shows and branches just to support the creative endeavors of women. Our spontaneous trips took us to museums and art galleries, often ending with stops at random estate sales.

During the pandemic and the lockdown, we talked daily to keep our spirits up. One day, she rang my doorbell dressed in her favorite boots and danced on my front lawn as I peered out the front window with delight. My neighbors found her performance to be just what we all needed.

Keep on dancing, my dear friend, and make us all smile as we remember you.

— Submitted by Dorothy Atkins