Selma (Greenberg) Faber Obituary (1924 - 2020)

Our mother, Selma Faber, passed away on Saturday, November 7, 2020, at home in Mountain Green, Utah. She was 96, but you never would have guessed it. Born on July 6, 1924, in New York City, New York, she was the daughter of Philip Ira and Sadie Levy Greenberg. She married our dad, Norman Faber, in New York City on July 3, 1943, and was his devoted wife for 50 years until he passed away in 1993. Selma was a wonderful mom to three children, Vance (Noni) Faber, Joanne Faber (Jerry) Kryszek, and Karen Faber (Steven) Maddox, grandmother to seven, and great-grandmother to thirteen. She was also blessed to have four step-grandchildren and eight step-great grandchildren. Mom said that when her time came, she just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up; she got her wish, having lived a remarkable life and doing everything she ever wanted to do. When the prize was the best mom ever, we definitely had the winning lottery ticket! Mom had more than enough love to go around. Patient, supportive and understanding with a sense of humor that was contagious, she was so fun to be around. Each of us thought we were her favorite, and in fact she loved each of us in different ways but always equally. Mom had so many talents: she was a fantastic seamstress and could sew anything without a pattern, sewing prom dresses for the girls (often with matching full length coats for us and ties for our dates), pep club outfits, band concert uniforms, and cheerleading outfits for everyone on the cheerleading squad. Having a love of knitting and crocheting, in the 1960s she owned a small knitting store in North Ogden named The Handcraft House, teaching countless adults and kids to love it, too. At that time and all through her life, she must have taught half of the girls in the North Ogden area and later the senior citizens in Tucson, Arizona, to knit, crochet, or sew. We will treasure the many sweaters, outfits, baby clothes and afghans she created for us. She was a fantastic cook; her recipes included creations from several generations before her and some that she came up with herself, including the best apricot pastry ring ever, lemon bars, and stuffed peppers and cabbage. Mom was like her recipes: the best combination of traditional and modern. She was our very own Rose Nyland from The Golden Girls, hysterically funny, perpetually kind, and ever an optimist. Her greatest talent of all was that she was such a good friend who loved and truly cared for everyone. It would be difficult to find anyone who didn't love Mom. Mom was such a good sport, willing to try anything and make the best of it...as a New York City girl, Utah seemed to be the wilderness, but she moved here and ultimately loved it. She led Girl Scout and Brownie troops, and went camping with her 4-H group (even though she had never been camping in her life), providing us with so many humorous memories. When our father retired, he and Mom sold their home, bought a motorhome and traveled all over the United States and Canada for two years. They then became snowbirds, spending the winter months in Tucson and the spring and summer in Oregon and Utah. When Dad passed away, Mom just kept on living...traveling all over the world, making lifelong friends wherever she went. Mom was Jewish and made sure we were brought up attending Sabbath services and Sabbath school in Salt Lake City. Once we were adults, she supported us in our choices regarding religion, even if at first it was difficult for her. Mom was joyously reunited with her husband and sweetheart, Norm; her parents; infant daughter, Jeanne; infant granddaughter, TaraLynn; sister Norma; and son-in-law, Steve; and many friends and relatives who passed before her. When Mom didn't answer her phone, her message said she was "out chasing rainbows." She also loved going to the casino in her later years, so we know she is having the best time chasing rainbows with Dad and looking for that pot of gold at the big casino in the sky. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Mom, like Dad, hoped to donate her body to the University of Utah Medical School, but because of the current pandemic, she was unable to; however she is considered a "donor in spirit." A celebration of her life will be held by her loved ones from all over the country when we can again get together safely.