Words
about Georgina
Words
about Georgina
Georgina Wertman (Wilheim)…by Stephen Lubofsky
Georgina was already on the Plummers School Bus #11 on the first day when I boarded from our home at 11 Charnwood Rd, St. Kilda. Hers was the first stop. A new face…and oh what a face! Her infectious personality, can-do attitude about everything captivated me as it did so many others with whom she made acquaintance over the years. I never took it personally that she preferred to sit with my father z”l and question him on anything & everything…that was Georgina.
Georgina Wilheim was born on March 3rd, 1958. If my memory serves me correctly she didn’t come to Scopus until Form 1-but was a huge hit from the get-go forming life long friendships with Beverly Lewi, Debra Lubansky, Helena Blicblau, Janette Freedman, Paul Leiba, John Gerszt, John Efron, myself and many others.
She immigrated with her family to the US when we were in Form 3. Her ability to maintain contact with her friends never waned. I still have the letters she wrote over that time. She never missed a birthday. And even into my forties there was never a Rosh Hashanah or Chanukah that passed without a card from Georgina with her three gorgeous children on the cover.
She returned to Melbourne for a visit in the late 70’s. She had a wonderful trip (other than the car accident we had when I took her to Ballarat!). I remember vividly driving down Orrong Rd. in the back of John Gerszt’s yellow Cellica listening to Boston…and then the incredible excitement in her voice as the Bee Gees Sat Night Fever (already a huge hit in the US) came on the air. I remember a Shabbat lunch at our home with the late Chief Rabbi Jacobowitz & Lady Jacobowitz. They were so taken by Georgina’s joi de vivre that they invited her to their home in London as she continued her travels. That was a terrific summer.
Georgina excelled academically in the US, finally graduating 6th in her Law Class at Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1981. She started working at Wachtel, Lipton, Rosen & Katz-probably the most intense corporate Law Firm in New York. When I decided to come to the States in late 1981 there was no question where I would stay…at Georgina’s. This, despite a grueling work week and a stream of visitors who somehow made it to her couch over the years. When I arrived in New York late on Fri evening June 18th 1982 (my charter flight having been seriously delayed from London) there was Georgina, frantically waiting for me outside her apt building @ 50 West 34th St….right across the street from Macy’s. She took me up to her apt and excitedly dragged me down the long hallway to the stair well, opened up a huge window, told me to stick my head out & look up….the Empire State Building was next door. Her apt was 12B5-it’s a number I will never forget-nor the memories from those first few months in New York. I always get a shiver down my spine whenever I walk past the old McAlpine House today. She loved the pulse of the city and seemed to get energy from its vibrancy…she was the perfect person to show me the ropes!
I remember catching the train to New Jersey with John Efron & Joey Nebyl for her wedding to Mark Wertman. By that time I was already living in Brooklyn. Not long after she & Mark moved to Los Angeles where her parents & siblings were now situated and started a successful stint in Entertainment Law. After several years in California she & Mark moved back to New Jersey. They bought a beautiful house in Marlboro, New Jersey. Georgina started working as a General Counsel at Shering-Plough, one of the world’s largest drug manufacturers. It provided her with a more reasonable work schedule now that she had three children.
I didn’t see Georgina often in the years following her return to the East Coast. We spoke from time to time and caught up on the news of family & old friends. We visited her home on a couple of occasions-she was the consummate loving mother & wife. The last time I actually saw her was in Aug 2000-four months after my father passed away when we went to her eldest daughters Bat-Mitzvah. Five months later I received an exceptionally long letter from her detailing her separation from Mark & ultimate divorce.
Georgina moved from Marlboro, NJ to a locale closer to her office but near enough to her home so that she could still see her children daily. She died in tragic circumstances on July 11th, 2002. She was survived by her parents, her sister Vicky (Victoria), & brother Steven. And three gorgeous children.
Today, all three of Georgie's kids are doing really well. Gabriella 17, went off to college at Brandeis University in Boston. She is having a great time and enjoying her freshman year. Daniel 14 was accepted to an honors, business-focused high school program and started 9th grade this fall. And Becky (Rebecca) 11 is also doing excellent in school too ... she just started 6th grade. They are happy and healthy!
Georgina was a truly remarkable & accomplished individual. But most importantly her devotion to family and friends was simply unrivaled. She is missed and remembered by all who knew and loved her. A beautiful soul taken from us much too soon. May her memory be a blessing.
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