A Sad Farewell /Rockaway mourns the sudden death of ferry advocate Laura Deckelman

The Wave ^ | 10/5/20 | Mark Healey

[Eleutheria5]

The first time I met Laura Deckelman was on a ferry, which, if you know anything about Laura Deckelman, is fitting.

Back in 2014, I had only been working at The Wave for a few weeks, and I was invited to take a ride on the then-Rockaway ferry by Seastreak President Jim Barker. It was a “simple meet and greet” to inform the public of some of the details of what expanded service could entail.

We got stuck on a sand bar, got inconvenienced for an hour or so, the FDNY “rescued us,” and I met Laura. She told me all about how much she loved the ferry and hoped that the editor of The Wave would not write a negative story about my experience.

She needn’t have worried, I had a blast that day and made a new friend, one who would share her wonderful photography with me and the readers of The Wave for years.

I also had the pleasure of meeting her husband, Paul. When he died in 2018, my editorial that week recalled him as ”a tireless supporter of the Rockaway community, advocating for many issues, including transportation and resiliency. His passion for the reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line, the long fight to return ferry service to the peninsula, and his demands for the city to address resiliency issues in his Bayswater community, was outmatched only by his love for his family.”

That love was returned, and so when Paul died, Laura was devastated. However, she pushed on and took care of their three children, Michael, David, and Shifra.

So, needless to say, I was shocked to hear of her sudden passing on May 5, as was the rest of Rockaway.

.....

[Eleutheria5]

She was also a respected artist. I am presently working to get her works copyrighted in the United States and Israel, for the purpose of marketing the paintings for the benefit of her three children. I will publish a web page once it is all set up.

She and her husband Paul are two of our (wife and my) oldest and best friends. Our children grew up together on the Rockaway peninsula, and we have kept in touch with them from Israel since we moved here.

Laura was also the author of The Final Solution is Life, Mesorah Publications Ltd.

https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Final-Solution-Life-Chassidic-Rebuilding/dp/1578195195/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+final+solution+is+life&qid=1589117345&sr=8-1

[Eleutheria5]

https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Final-Solution-Life-Chassidic-Rebuilding/dp/1578195195/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+final+solution+is+life&qid=1589117345&sr=8-1

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP. My condolences to you on the loss of your friend.