Nettie B. Holzman, 103, of Pine Hill Assisted Living at Kimball Farms Retirement Community, died at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield after a brief illness.
Born in New York City Sept. 13, 1908, the daughter of Frederick and Yetta Fischler Buch, she was a graduate of Girls High School and Juilliard School of Music, both in New York, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Manhattan School of Music, and in her later years attended the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.
An accomplished concert pianist, she made her concert debut at Town Hall in New York City. She was a student of Arthur Friedheim, who was a student of Franz Liszt. She taught piano privately for many years until the age of 83 and also taught in the Farmingdale Public Schools. She also had worked with her husband in their own department store specializing in women’s and children’s apparel.
Nettie and her husband, Joseph Harold Holzman, whom she married in New York City in 1935, were civic, business and cultural leaders in Farmingdale, where she made her home from 1937 until coming to Lenox, MA, in 2007. Mr. Holzman died Dec. 7, 1956.
Her exemplary life of love and devotion to family, friends, and the arts served as a source of peace, progress, and human understanding. Her extraordinary journey through the 20th century with all its joys, struggles, wars and peace, discrimination and integration, were recognized by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle with a special birthday greeting sent to her on the occasion of her 101st birthday.
Nettie will be remembered as an articulate, intelligent, and extremely reflective woman who was able to accomplish much and give freely of her wisdom to those who sought her counsel. She believed deeply in the transformative power of education and the arts to elevate the human spirit and promote cultural understanding. She acted on this belief in her work and extensive travel and study in the U.S. and abroad.
Her many survivors include her two sons, Dr. Richard Holzman and his wife Shelley of Chester, MA, and Dr. Steven Holzman and wife Susan of Locust Valley; grandchildren, Jason and wife Colleen, Ross and fiance Danielle, and Daryl Holzman and partner Audrey, all of Long Island; Jason Moss and wife Kimberly of Glendale, CA, Erica Eckman, husband Jeffrey and children, Jacob and Ava of Belmont, MA, and Jessica Holzman and partner Dr. Enrique Lopez of Pittsfield.
Nettie was proud to be the oldest resident of Pine Hill and her family bestows high praise and deep gratitude to all the staff there as well as to the staff at Berkshire Medical Center including Dr. Kimberly May and also to Dr. Edward Weiner of Fairview Health Associates in Great Barrington.
Mrs. Nettie B. Holzman of Lenox who died June 12, 2011 was honored with a gathering of friends at the Roche Funeral Home in Lenox followed by a funeral service with Rabbi Devorah Jacobson of Springfield officiating. A reception was held at Kimball Farms. Burial in Mount Ararat Cemetery in Farmingdale. In lieu of flowers donations in Nettie’s memory may be made to American International College or Chester Theater Company, both in care of the funeral home, 120 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240.
