Page 26 - Layout 1

MY MOTHER, BIRDIE
Birdie Birdene Friedman Lipsie Lipsky Tourek by Janet
My mother was born Birdie Friedman, February 3, 1901, in New York City. Her residence at the time was 45 Attorney Street, New York City. Since my grandfather, Hyman, was born in
Alsace-Lorraine, my mother assumed she was French and affected French greetings like bonjour and mon cherie. She graduated high school and worked in New York City as a secretary. She made a good salary and dressed in the latest styles. She had many friends and several devoted boyfriends.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Birdene and Sidney Lipsky, of Vilna, Russia, probably met on the beach at Coney Island. It was love at first sight! My mother couldn’t resist the charms of my blonde, blue-eyed, dimpled dad, and my dad was smitten with the pretty, bright and witty woman with the wonderful complexion and the blue-green eyes. She met Sidney after he’d returned from the Marines. Sidney left the Marines when he was found to be underage. He was unable to fight in World War I.
The couple was wed on May 6, 1920. Birdie was living at 74 Henry Street, while Sidney was living at 100 Third Street. They moved in with my dad’s generous parents, Rae (Goldschind) and Louis Lipsky. The senior Lipskys, parents of eight children, lived at 711 Ave S in Brooklyn, New York, for more than fifty years. Louis was a builder, so the family was very comfortable.
Louis Lipsky loaned the young couple money for a six-month trial running a large general store that also served food and drinks. Birdene and Sidney weren’t experienced in that type of operation, and business was slow, so when Birdie’s mother invited them to come to California, they were delighted. Sidney got a job with the Yorktown Shirt Shops. He was a perfect salesman: 6 feet tall, handsome, always well-dressed and a charmer. In a few years, he was made manager of the chain.