Obituary: Esther Lewyn

Spanning 98 years, Esther Lewyn’s life was a tapestry woven with strength, resilience, and love. Born in 1925 to Eva and Louis Sloan, immigrants who fled the antisemitic pogroms of Eastern Europe, Esther navigated a world vastly different from the one we know today.

Growing up amidst the Great Depression in Atlanta, Ga., Esther emerged from challenging circumstances with a determination that would shape her entire life. Through it all, Esther always kept moving forward, never letting adversity get in her way. At the age of 14, Esther faced the loss of her father, thrusting her into a world of added responsibility. Witnessing her mother shoulder the family grocery business alone, Esther developed a profound understanding of the importance of women being able to support themselves. This realization became a guiding principle throughout her life.

After graduating from Girls’ High, Esther pursued higher education vigorously, breaking barriers that existed for women of her generation. She attended Agnes Scott College at age 16 and then graduated from New York University. She excelled academically while supporting herself by working as a governess for a young girl in New York City. Although her dream of graduate education was initially denied due to gender bias at NYU, Esther persisted, ultimately earning a master’s degree in education from Emory University.

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Esther embarked on an elementary school teaching career in the Atlanta Public Schools. She later tutored “practically every Jewish kid in Atlanta.” She was proud to be the advisor for the venerable Jewish sorority “D.O.Z” (Daughters of Zion)  for a generation of young Atlanta Jewish women. In matters of the heart, Esther was not one to conform. Rejecting suitors who sought to control her, she found a partner in Bert Lewyn, a Holocaust survivor from Berlin whom she married in 1951. Their enduring marriage of 65 years was built on mutual respect, independence, and a shared commitment to family. He worshiped her, and she helped him move forward from a life of tragedy to a life of accomplishment.

Esther’s financial acumen was as legendary as her self-confidence. While many women of her era pursued the dream of marrying a wealthy man, Esther learned to think like one. After retiring from teaching, Esther worked with Bert at Lewyn Machinery, Inc., the business they founded, leveraging Esther’s savvy and Bert’s technical and relationship building skills.

As Esther and Bert’s business grew, so did their family. They welcomed five children over eight years and learned to balance the demands of work and child raising. When the inevitable challenges of parenting arose, Esther responded with optimism and a determination to find the resources that would allow her children to thrive. Esther insisted that each of her children have the opportunity to attend the best public and private schools and tirelessly tutored her kids as needed, again focusing on the opportunities afforded by education. She had the same focus with her grandchildren, and ensured they also had superior access to great educational experiences.

A woman of style, Esther commanded respect and admiration. She dressed with elegance, dignity and confidence that left an indelible impression. She and Bert traveled the world, collecting an ever-expanding volume of museum quality art, and they commissioned leading artists to paint beloved family members, all lovingly displayed in their Buckhead home. Esther combined her love of the visual arts with a delight for the dramatic arts. She had season tickets for decades for many Atlanta venues and loved venturing to New York for the latest Broadway offerings. Her love for musicals and other theater inspired her children and grandchildren to pursue drama during school and professionally.

Quality time was Esther’s love language, and she never missed an opportunity to be present for her six grandchildren. Her fondness for storytelling turned family gatherings into memorable occasions. Esther and Bert built a mountain home in Highlands, N.C., and a beach home in Destin, Fla., as gathering places for children and grandchildren. Family also meant generosity for Esther. She shopped all year for Hanukkah celebrations where every child and grandchild received an overwhelming amount of gifts. Nothing gave her more pleasure than to see each child unwrap their gift with a smile and a resulting hug.

Generosity also meant philanthropy for Esther. Bert and Esther’s names appear in buildings (the Atlanta Jewish Academy, in an endowment at Emory University, and in books they funded about American Jewish history and the history of the Holocaust.) Achieving everything she set out to do, Nana’s passing at the age of 98 marked the end of an era. She will be very missed. Esther was not only a loving wife, mother, and grandmother but also a progressive matriarch, business savant and patron of the arts and the community. Her legacy, an inspiring tale of resilience, independence, and unwavering principles, will continue to influence generations to come.

May we carry forward the lessons Esther imparted by example and by deed and celebrate an astounding life. Esther, your spirit, strength, and indomitability shall forever be with us. May your memory be for a blessing, knowing that your legacy lives on in the hearts of the many who loved you. Esther was predeceased by her husband, Bert Lewyn, and her parents, Eva and Louis Sloan, and is survived by her loving family, Andrea Lewyn Krakovsky (Ed) and Cindy Lewyn; sons, Lawrence, Marc (Bev), and Michael (Helen) Lewyn; and grandchildren, Jake and Sloan Krakovsky, and Alexandra, Rachel, Sarah (Shep Gerszberg) and Rebecca Lewyn.

A memorial service for Esther was held at The Temple in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 1, 2023, with Rabbi Peter Berg and Rabbi Adam Starr officiating. Internment followed at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Ga., with Rabbi Ilan Feldman officiating. Contributions to the Geffen and Lewyn Family Southern Jewish Collections Research Fellowship of the Stuart Rose Library at Emory University, or to a charity of one’s choosing, would be deeply appreciated by the family. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.