Rebecca Lipkin, beloved daughter of Gladys and the late Nat Lipkin, sister of Harriet and Alan, aunt and friend of so many people around the world, lost her courageous two-year battle against inflammatory breast cancer. She was 48. Burial took place at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, NY on July 24th and a memorial service was held at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC on July 26th.
A “Celebration” of Rebecca’s life will be held in London on Friday, October 2nd. Everyone is welcome to this event. For more details, please go to: http://www.gold-media.net/rebecca.html
Rebecca’s moving memorial service in Washington, DC was held on July 26th. You can view the service, in its entirety, here: http://rebeccamemorial.blip.tv/
You can read Rebecca’s obituary in The Washington Post here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/23/AR2009072303584.html
Additionally, at the following link, you can view a tribute to Rebecca on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on July 26th along with “Not Angela’s Ashes,” Rebecca’s profile of Frank McCourt’s return to Ireland. This story was one of Rebecca’s favorite pieces:
http://www.mefeedia.com/tags/rebecca_lipkin
Melissa Rose created a photo tribute site at: http://www.celebratingrebeccalipkin.shutterfly.com
The friends and family of Rebecca invite you to join us here and celebrate her wonderful and inspirational life. Please click on “feedbacks” below to read tributes from around the world. You are also sincerely invited to add your own tributes, memories and stories about Rebecca.
The following note is from Gladys Lipkin, Rebecca’s much-beloved mother:
What is it like, as her mother, to love a daughter as well-known and loved as Rebecca? I can only marvel at the productive years as she went up the ladder for over twenty years at ABC-TV, and then at Al Jazeera English.
Rebecca was restless when involved in work. She always wanted to do more, know the whole story and every professional in seeking the information. She was never satisfied with covering the headline of the event, but sought out the background details that made each person relevant and important.
And so it has been with Becca's relationships with family, relatives, friends and co-workers. She would seek and remember details of everyone's life because she was truly interested. She met many famous people, but was no less involved with the unknown. She even shared her knowledge about her brother and sister, father and mother, expressing pride in their accomplishments while speaking little of her own.
Did we, the family, love her? Absolutely! She loved and was loved by everyone with whom she came in contact, but none more than her family. We were the luckiest people since we were able to share the happy as well as sad times of her life.
I pray that all of us will remember Rebecca as the smiling, involved, brilliant individual and journalist and not concentrate on this sad end. She told me recently that she thought her death would be regarded as a failure. I believe she realized she had not failed, but that her fight to live her life to the fullest, even when so ill has inspired us all. So when you speak of her, smile and rejoice for her incredible spirit and spunk, and be happy that you were among those who were privileged to know her.
Gladys Lipkin
Donations:
August 1st, 2009Inflammatory Breast Cancer is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, accounting for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to:
The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation, Houston Texas via this link:
http://www.eraseibc.com/67001.html
or:
Royal Marsden Hospital
Please make cheques payable to:
The Royal Marsden Hospital
and write on the back:
Dr Stephen Johnston's Breast Cancer Research Fund
Checks should be posted to:
Mary Parry
The Royal Marsden Hospital
Fulham Road
London SW3 6JJ
