Edna L. Stein, 79

April 05, 2024

Nina would not want this to be a traditional by the book remembrance. So we will follow the book a little and cover the basics. Nina was born in 1944 in Portland, Maine, and she died April 5 at Moravian Manor Skilled Nursing facility. I had the privilege of being with her when she passed. Nina graduated from Westbrook High School in 1963. I met her when we were both freshmen at the University of Maine and we have been together ever since.

She became my best friend, confidant, moral compass, and cheerleader. She was one of the smartest people I ever met. This got her into trouble over and over again in various settings where she knew the answer and others did not. She always spoke her mind. Tact was not necessarily one of her skills. Nina and I graduated from college in 1967 and we both started grad programs in psychology. That lasted one semester of separation. I talked her into coming down to New Hampshire and marrying me in 1968. She began a program in library science there. In 1970 she earned her masters, and our daughter Deborah was born.

After I finished my program, Nina became an Army wife. We moved to Ft Jackson, SC and then Fort Benning. Our son Sam was born there, and his birth certificate says Chattahoochee County, Ga. The Army being one of the last bastions of old traditional values, Nina did her best, but also said what she thought. We moved to a small post in Massachusetts which was near our families, contrary to normal Army procedure. In 1977, we moved to Virginia and while I was in federal civil service Nina started a day care business in our home. She was really good at it since she always loved working with kids.

In 1981 we moved to the Atlantic City, NJ area. Within two years Nina fell into a job running a bookmobile for elementary schools in Egg Harbor Township. She would end up working for them for twenty-five years. When they ended that program, she ran a school library for several years. The administration decided she should not be doing that because although she had a master’s degree, she did not have a teaching certificate. So, they sent her to be an assistant to another librarian. That did not work out well given her history with tact and speaking her mind. They assigned her as a one-on-one aid to a special needs elementary school child. Other staff were afraid of him, but she excelled. He became her best friend. She hung in there and retired with full benefits in 2009.

We moved on to the Lancaster area in 2010 to be closer to our children and grandchildren Asher and Spencer (and their mother Monique). Nina started volunteering in the Hempfield Primary Center, working with first graders facilitating reading skills. She had a few problems with the administration but hung in for 10 years until Covid closed the schools. Nina had a pretty good and productive life, but the last few years have been tough. Her struggle is over. May she rest in peace. She will be greatly missed, especially by her husband and family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (act.alz.org)., the Temple Beth El of Lancaster Hebrew School or the charity of your choice.

Nina is survived by me (her husband, Earl), our children: Deborah and Sam, her sister, Mickey and her brothers: Duane (Dee) and Mike as well as her grandchildren: Asher and Spencer.

A Graveside Service will be held at 11AM on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at Beth El Cemetery, 295 E Newport Rd, Lititz, PA.