Elfriede Karbiener

Elfriede Karbiener (September 25, 1936, Hallstadt, Germany – May 7, 2022, Glen Cove, NY) will always be “Mommy” to daughters Karen and Natanya, “Oma” to their daughters Emma and Shane Jaeger and Annike Karbiener Pfeiffer, and “Elfi” to sons in law Erik Jaeger and Douglas Pfeiffer, sister Gerda Perez (1939 – 2021 Hallstadt, Germany), sister-in-law Inge Mebes Bender, as well as her extended family and her many diverse social circles. Other words that come to mind when thinking of her include resilience, playfulness, glitter, glamour, krapfen, ‘everyday things for special occasions,’ long baths, deep tans, hearty laughter, and love. Her adventurous life took her from war torn Germany to New York City, where she met Phillipp Karbiener (March 1, 1935 Sekitch, Yugoslavia – November 22, 2002 Glen Cove, NY), husband of 46 years. It was love at first sight for Phillipp, who proposed within three months. The pair were united by their love of family, dancing, and hearty home-cooked meals. Both emigrated to the US from extremely difficult circumstances and with very little means; together they built a life that might be described as the ‘American dream.’ From a first date after work at Merkel’s Meat Plant in Queens, they built a happy family of four, a thriving business (Glen Cove Pork Store, 1964 – 2001), and a home on beautiful Morgan’s Island, Glen Cove. If Elfi’s first language was German, her second was Health and Fitness. Though she was a fabulous cook (her daughters fondly recall the elaborate Schwarzwälder kirsch tortes served at their birthday parties), she was a self-educated nutrition expert and renowned ‘fitness guru.’ For decades, she ran a daily ten-mile route with a group of Morgan’s Island neighbors; and she pioneered the open water swimming that is now popular between Prybil’s and East Beaches in Glen Cove. A regular at the Glen Cove YMCA, her daily workouts dazzled fellow patrons into her eighties. Elfi also possessed an unusually deep appreciation for music—opera and classical piano in particular, though she was known to belt out favorite Elvis Presley tunes. Growing up in a musical household in which both parents played instruments, she took piano lessons from an early age and became a skilled sight reader and improviser, easily mastering the accordion in her twenties. Elfi enlivened many a family gathering with rousing sing-alongs and inspired her daughters and granddaughters’ love for music and performance. But what she cherished and valued above all else was family. Though World War II tore apart her family in Germany, Elfriede taught two generations how to get - and stay - together. She self-catered grand-scale family reunions in the backyard, relished mother-daughter lunches in her kitchen, and initiated many a friendly food fight at the dinner table. Immensely proud of her three granddaughters, she saved every birthday card ever made for her and wanted to be at home more than anywhere else in the world. Because she received her last wish—to die in her own bed—we are certain her soul rests in peace. Mommy, we already miss your smile and your spark. But we hold steadfast to this: though people must die, love never does. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Walt Whitman Initiative, a non-profit art organization run by daughter Karen.