To the many fans of "Life Lessons from an Old Bitch" blog: Sylvia passed away peacefully on February 1, 2024, surrounded by her family. Thank you for your years of support for our Mom and her insightful and provocative "only Sylvia!" posts over the past decade. We have pasted her obituary below.
With love,
The Baumgarten Family
Sylvia Baumgarten (née Rosen), author, raconteuse, queen bee of the bridal salon, and "Maw," died peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on February 1, 2024, two months and two weeks after celebrating her 90th birthday. Sylvia was the very definition of indomitable – a powerful, independent woman of towering intellect, exacting standards, and strong opinions. She was also defined by her sharp wit, irrepressible sense of humor, and love of punnery. She loved being the center of attention and would readily engage with a stranger in a restaurant or on the subway, who would know her life story after ten minutes and become a friend for life. She had a million expressions for every occasion. She died wearing her favorite sweatshirt, which read, "I'm not bossy. I just know what you should be doing." As she would say, "That was Sylvia all over."
Sylvia was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in September 2022. It says everything about her fierce nature that she beat the odds by a mile and was in relatively good health until only the last few days.
Under the pen names Ena Halliday, Louisa Rawlings, and Sylvia Halliday (all derived from her maternal line), she authored 15 historical romance novels, aka "bodice rippers," that were highly reviewed and translated into multiple languages. Her first book, Marielle, was chosen by Pocket Books to launch Tapestry Romances, their historical line. Awards include 1986 and 1987 Gold Medallion Finalist Awards from the Romance Writers of America (RWA) for Forever Wild, a novel set in 19th-century New York State as well as the Paris of the Impressionists; 1989 Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine for Promise of Summer; and 1994 RWA RITA Award Finalist for Wicked Stranger. She had a devoted following of fans. Later, she took a job as a saleswoman of wedding gowns, first at David's Bridal in Queens and then at Macy's Herald Square. She loved nothing more than "throwing the veil over young brides' faces and watching them burst into tears of joy." As with her readers, many of "her brides" became lifelong friends.
Throughout Sylvia's adulthood, her "lists" were always close at hand – 4" x 6" blank white tear-off pads (decades before PostIt Notes were invented) along with perfectly sharpened No. 2 pencils. She kept track of every detail of her life with her lists, right up until her final days. She remembered every holiday and the birthdays and anniversaries of every friend and family member, including cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and grandchildren, and sent a cheeky Hallmark card or, later, a musical Jacquie Lawson e-card, without ever missing a single occasion.
Sylvia loved the theater, especially musical theater (Brigadoon and Finian's Rainbow were two of her all-time favorites and never failed to bring her to tears), opera, ballet, and classical music. She was an accomplished actor in college and played the piano. She loved words and wordplay. She was an expert crossword puzzle constructor and famously had a July 4 Independence Day Sunday crossword published in the New York Times. She painted, crocheted, sewed, and knitted. She had a brief career as an interior decorator. She was known for many famous dishes: gourmet fare like her salmon mousse, with which she entertained at parties, and Pears Belle Helene (chocolate-covered pears), as well as everyday specialties, including her notorious "pink macaroni" (aka "Mom's mac") and "train wreck," better left undescribed. For Independence Day, she would make an angel food cake in the shape of an American Flag, with blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream forming the Stars and Stripes.
Sylvia was a woman of inestimable talents. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of trivia and was a contestant on the game shows "Jeopardy" and "Who, What, or Where?" She also loved her feline companions, especially her last cat, Mr. Magoo, and his predecessor, Boris. In her 80s, Sylvia started a blog, memorably titled "Life Lessons from an Old Bitch," a characteristic mix of reminiscences, nostalgia, commentary on society's moral decline ("We no longer teach people thoughtfulness, courtesy, respect. It's all about ME!" etc.) and good advice for younger generations.
She was born Sylvia Rosen in Toronto, the second of three children, and raised in West Warren and Springfield, Massachusetts. Her father, Harry Rosen, was a self-made millionaire textile printer, and her mother, Hilda (Banyard) Rosen, a busy homemaker. Sylvia adored her mother, herself a woman who always had a silly pun at the ready. She cherished equally her older brother, Louis, and her younger sister, Deena. Her father was a difficult, mercurial personality, from whom Sylvia inherited her incredible resilience and toughness.
Sylvia attended Pembroke College (now Brown University), where she studied art history and French. There she met her husband, Sidney Baumgarten. Their first child, Doug, was born in Germany, where Sidney was stationed with the military, and they traveled around Europe with their closest friends, the Larsons, before returning to the states. They lived in Far Rockaway, Queens, where sons Fred and Roger and daughter Julia were born, and in Manhattan. They were married for 47 years before divorcing in 2002. Their four children were Sylvia's pride and joy always. She usually signed her letters and e-mails to them "Maw." After she and Sidney separated, Sylvia lived in Forest Hills, Queens, until moving to Atria La Jolla senior independent living in San Diego in 2020 to be close to Julia. She wrote for and edited the Atria newsletter and enjoyed participating in play readings. The staff at Atria were very good to her, as were her doctors and nurses at the Scripps Clinic. The family also thanks the staff of The Elizabeth Hospice for their loving care in the final week of Sylvia's life.
Sylvia is survived by her children Doug (Beth), Fred (Jenny Hansell), Roger (Barrett Sheridan), and Julia Foster (Greg), sister Deena Mazer (Harvey), former husband Sidney Baumgarten (Terry), grandchildren Michael and Sabra Starr, Jessie Mironenko, Jaimie Hullihen, Abbey and Ari Hansell-Baumgarten, Alex and Thomas Baumgarten, and Logan Foster, and great-grandsons Cash McLaughlin and Kai Hullihen. She was predeceased by her brother, Louis Rosen.
A celebration of Sylvia's life will be held on an upcoming date. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory are encouraged to the La Jolla Playhouse, Attn: Philanthropy Department, P.O. Box 12039, La Jolla, CA 92039; Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306; and/or The Elizabeth Hospice, 800 W Valley Pkwy, Suite 100, Escondido, CA 92025.
There are far too many Sylvia stories and "mom-isms" to fit into one obituary. They would fill at least 15 books and be full of intrigue, show tunes, swashbuckling romance, and operatic endings.
