Madeline Ettin
July 20, 1945-July 16, 2014
Palo Alto, California
Submitted by David Israel

Madeline Ettin was born in New York City on July 20, 1945, to Abraham and Ruth (nee Rheingold) Ettin. She has one sister, Judy, five years younger.

Madeline showed evidence early on of significant artistic ability and studied at the Art Students League in New York City from age 12. On the basis of a portfolio, she was accepted into and graduated from New York's High School of Art and Music in 1962 -- now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. She continued to work at her art -- and to love doing so -- til the end of her life. For most of the last 15 years, she was an active member of the Gallery House Coop Gallery in Palo Alto.

She received her B.A. from Hunter College of the City College of New York in 1966. She later discovered a love of working with kids, especially high-school students and received her master's in psychology from Tufts University in 1975. For most of the remaining 40 years of her life she worked as a school psychologist, for the last 12 years at Los Altos High School, a school and a staff she admired enormously.

In 1968, Madeline moved out to Berkeley, for -- in her mind -- an indefinite stay. She had spent some part of the two previous summers there as well. Sometime very early in 1969, she met her future husband, David Israel. They were married on September 13, 1970, and they were together for the 45 years left to her.

On July 20, 1978 -- her 33rd birthday -- Madeline gave birth to their daughter and only child, Nicole Susan Israel. After graduating from Palo Alto High School in 1996, Nicole went to Brown University, graduating in 2000 and from there moved directly to New York. On September 29, 2007, Madeline was the proud mother of the bride at the wedding of Nicole Israel and Josh Kaufman.

On July 13, 2010, Nicole gave birth to William Lucas Kaufman and on April 20, 2013, to Louisa Jane Kaufman, bestowing on her mother the gift she came most to prize: two wonderfully beguiling grandchildren and the proud title of Grandma.

Madeline was diagnosed with cancer on May 2, 2014. That diagnosis was tragically partial. Later that month she was diagnosed with a quite independent cancer of the pancreas, and it was the latter that killed her, ruthlessly, but quickly.

She died in Palo Alto in the very early morning of July 16, 2014, less than three months after the original diagnosis and -- much much more importantly -- just days after spending a last glorious week with Nicole and Josh and William and Louisa.

She is survived by her husband, by her daughter and son-in-law, by her two grandchildren -- and by many many friends.

Tags: arts/media, teacher/educator