Those were Myrna Jargowsky's words when asked about her mother, Mildred Resnick.

Mrs. Mildred Resnick, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, devoted wife, philanthropist and grand lady of Ellenville died on Monday, January 8 at the age of 90 at Vassar Brothers Hospital after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mildred Resnick, born Mildred Rothstein, was born on February 23, 1916 to Russian immigrants living on a farm in Kerhonkson. She was raised on that farm and lived there until she married Louis Resnick on February 7, 1943 and moved to Ellenville. It was there that she began her and her husband's legacy of generosity and community activism. Mrs. Resnick, both prior to and after her husband's death, made several contributions to area institutions including SUNY-New Paltz, SUNY-Delhi, Ulster County Community College, Yeshiva Zichron Moshe, the March of Dimes, the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Cancer and the Ellenville Regional Hospital.

Mrs. Jargowsky remembered her mother with warmth and admiration as, "Strong. Forceful. She never stood in the back of the room. And she never said 'wait until your father gets home' because she always knew how to handle us." But more than anything else, Jargowsky remembers her as, "my best friend and a wonderful example to me and everyone she knew."

Mrs. Jargowsky said that she knows that she is not alone in her sorrow.

In a speech delivered by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-Hurley) on the floor of Congress in May of 2006, he said, "The Resnicks have embodied the true meaning of philanthropy. Through their generous donations and personal involvement, they improved the material, social, and spiritual welfare of their community through thoughtful and charitable activities."

Ellenville Regional Hospital had been the recipient of much of Resnick's recent time, energy and generosity as she had taken over fundraising duties for the hospital's new construction projects.

On August 7, 2006 Mrs. Resnick attended the groundbreaking for the Ellenville Regional Hospital's new Emergency Room facility. At the end of the ceremony, she presented hospital CEO Steve Kelley with a check for $250,000. On September 26, 2006 Mrs. Resnick was honored for her effort in saving the hospital when the facility dedicated its Women's Health department to her.

Steve Kelley, when asked his thoughts about the loss of Resnick said, "We had a special relationship. She was my confidante and I was her's. She was my counselor and it is sad to know that she's gone."

Those sentiments were echoed by Ellenville Mayor Jeff Kaplan when he said, "She was a long time friend of me and my family. On behalf of myself and the community, I can say that she will be missed."

State Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D) released a statement saying that, "one of the brightest lights in Ulster County went dark." Cahill went on to say that Mrs. Resnick was, "A true pillar of the community, she dedicated her life to serving her family and the needs of the people of the greater Ellenville area." In a statement released by State Senator John J. Bonacic (R), he referred to Mrs. Resnick as a, "champion" and went on to say that, "While we can and should mourn her passing, we can celebrate an extraordinary life."

A statement released by SUNY-New Paltz read, "Mildred Resnick was one of the most remarkable women I've ever known—strong, smart, and singularly committed to the health of this region. Together with Lou, they formed a team whose beneficent influence shaped almost every significant educational, health and cultural institution in Ellenville, Ulster County and the greater Hudson Valley.

"On our campus, we owe to Mildred and her family the very existence of our Resnick Engineering Program, the Resnick Engineering Building, and the Resnick Institute for the Study of Modern Jewish Life. But of course Mildred and Lou's most enduring legacy here is the education provided to hundreds of students who have and are attending New Paltz on Resnick scholarships."

The funeral was held at Congregation Ezrath Israel in Ellenville at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 10.

Remembering Mildred We encourage anyone who wishes to share their memories of Mildred Resnick to do so by mailing us at info@ ellenvillejournal.com, commenting on this article (see below), or by mailing them to us a P.O. Box 669, Ellenville, NY 12428. We will run a special section devoted to those memories in next week's edition.

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