I first knew Naomi in high school – Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ. We hung out a lot, especially going to movies on the weekends. If we wanted to go on a Friday night, I'd first have to share Shabbat dinner with the family – as a nonobservant Jew, this was my only exposure to the rituals of Shabbat. I remember Naomi's mom saying the blessing over the candles, and her dad doing the same over the challah. Only after everything was cleaned up could we go out for the evening. I also loved it when her dad built a fire in the fireplace, another novelty for me, since I always had lived in apartments. Their home was always filled with plants, yet another novelty for me, as her dad had been a botany major in college.
Somehow, "N" & I shared the same weird sense of humor. I remember when we went out of our way to see the (now) cult classic, "Beat the Devil." She & I were the only ones in the theater laughing at the absurdities in the film. And yes, we too had our giggling fits.
By coincidence, Naomi lived in New Brunswick while I was a graduate student at Rutgers, so we got to see each other often during that year.
After I married and moved away from NJ, & she married and moved to the Chicago area, we didn't get to see much of each other. I once was able to visit her in her Oak Park home, when she showed me not only the city of Chicago, but also walked me around the many Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Oak Park. We also got together for the only high-school reunion we attended, back to Dwight Morrow for, I think, our 25th. We stayed at her mom's house, the last time I saw Ida before she died.
While I did my share of traveling, I envied some of N's trips, especially the one to China.
She didn't share with me the struggles with her health, and now I appreciate all the more her stamina and courage in doing so much while she knew her time was limited.
I'll miss my old friend.
Shirley Muney
