Recollections of Phillip Beber

By Shelly Ruben

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After Grandpa Sam died in 1924, Grandma met and married Philip Beber, a widower with three older children. He was a big gruff man but not as tough as he sounded. Elaine and I remember him sitting in the evenings reading the Jewish paper, The Forward. (In Yiddish I believe he called it the Forwitz.)

He also listened to Gabreil Heater every evening which was the highlight of the evening -- besides eating. He treated us nicely as I remember, and he referred to me all the time as Shalic. Grandpa had a new and used furniture store not too far from the house on Broadway, and Elaine and I would walk to the store with mom and dad. In fact, Howard worked for Beber briefly during the Depression in 1929. He sold a lot of coal and wood burning stoves which he kept on the sidewalk during the day.

Beber had a daughter Selma, a son Jake, who was younger than the others and whom we would see occasionally around the house on Broadway, and a son Morris who was in the Merchant Marines. Grandpa Beber died sometime after they moved to Springdale Ave.

Shelly