Syd was mom to many, including me, at the Port Chester Daily Item, and we benefitted greatly from her generosity and goodwill. I, being a kid from Brooklyn learning the strange and borderless suburbs, was grateful for a spare room at Winding Wood Road, putting up with raucous raccoons and even a night-time burglary while we slept. Syd never let me live down the fact that I didn’t hear a thing. She would be proud and astonished to know that the blender she gave me as a housewarming present in 1977 is still crushing ice for margaritas. I was very happy to have seen her a few years back when I visited New York – I caught up on all her children and grandchildren over coffee at her kitchen table. Syd was, is, a steady presence in my life, despite the years and the grey hair, because she was an important part of growing up. I loved your mom and derived much joy from our friendship. She was a good reporter and a good person. And every time I think of her I smile.