Obituary for Edith (Kanter) Desimone
Edith (Kanter) Desimone, of Stow, passed away peacefully Monday, March 8, 2021 in Concord. She was 91 years old. She was the beloved wife of the late Joseph Anthony Desimone who passed away in 2010.
Edith was born in 1929 in Lichterfelde, Germany (a suburb of Berlin) to the late Erich and Wally (Salzman) Kanter. Growing up in Hitler’s Germany was very difficult for Edith. Her father was a man of great courage, who saw through Hitler and his propaganda, and he was outspoken in his perspective. He helped Edith to understand the horror of what was taking place in Germany. Edith and her father dreamed of coming to the United States when the war was over. Unfortunately, Edith’s father was sent to the Russian Front, from which he never returned. Although her heart was broken, Edith fulfilled her father’s dream and immigrated to the United States on July 4, 1947 after the end of World War II. She met Joseph Desimone, the love of her life, dancing at the Wonderland Ballroom. Edith and Joe spent many a fun filled evening dancing at Wonderland, and at Mosleys on the Charles.
Edith and Joe were a couple filled with great faith and the church meant the world to them. They made several pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They also enjoyed traveling to Bermuda multiple times, both by cruise and by flight.
In the 1970’s Edith established Blade and Racquet Fashions and trademarked the name in 1989. In 1988, she trademarked the name SK-UNK, which was an ice skating skirt with a patented design. Blade and Racquet Fashions designed and manufactured figure skating outfits, and was well known for outfitting numerous synchronized figure skating teams across the state of Massachusetts and the country. Blade and Racquet Fashions was closed following a fire in the building where it was housed on Moody Street in Waltham in February 1999.
Edith was formerly a long-time resident of Lexington, Massachusetts. She moved to Meeting House at Stow in 2013. She happily settled in there, enjoying the community very much. She was always quick to greet neighbors with a warm smile, hello, and a friendly hug. At 7:00 in the evening she liked to head down to the parlor to hear what her friends had been up to during the day, and she enjoyed playing in the weekly scrabble games. One of her favorite past-times was sitting on the front porch on the swing and chatting with Meeting House friends. Edith also enjoyed her twice weekly outings to the Stow Council on Aging, where she joined friends for lunch.
Edith loved animals and over the years, she had a number of Irish Wolfhounds, as well as cats.
Edith was known for her kind generosity and helping others in need. How she emerged from her difficult childhood in Germany to become who she was, was a testament to her inner core of strength and purity of spirit.
She is lovingly survived by her son, Stephen G. Kanter and his wife Karen of Stow, MA and by her grandson, Stephen J. Kanter and his partner Megan Cronce of Haddon Heights, NJ.
Due to the COVID situation, arrangements for Edith are private.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions in her name to:
Friends of the Stow Council On Aging, P.O.Box 97, Stow, MA 01775
Memorial Page: www.actonfuneralhome.com
Edith was born in 1929 in Lichterfelde, Germany (a suburb of Berlin) to the late Erich and Wally (Salzman) Kanter. Growing up in Hitler’s Germany was very difficult for Edith. Her father was a man of great courage, who saw through Hitler and his propaganda, and he was outspoken in his perspective. He helped Edith to understand the horror of what was taking place in Germany. Edith and her father dreamed of coming to the United States when the war was over. Unfortunately, Edith’s father was sent to the Russian Front, from which he never returned. Although her heart was broken, Edith fulfilled her father’s dream and immigrated to the United States on July 4, 1947 after the end of World War II. She met Joseph Desimone, the love of her life, dancing at the Wonderland Ballroom. Edith and Joe spent many a fun filled evening dancing at Wonderland, and at Mosleys on the Charles.
Edith and Joe were a couple filled with great faith and the church meant the world to them. They made several pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They also enjoyed traveling to Bermuda multiple times, both by cruise and by flight.
In the 1970’s Edith established Blade and Racquet Fashions and trademarked the name in 1989. In 1988, she trademarked the name SK-UNK, which was an ice skating skirt with a patented design. Blade and Racquet Fashions designed and manufactured figure skating outfits, and was well known for outfitting numerous synchronized figure skating teams across the state of Massachusetts and the country. Blade and Racquet Fashions was closed following a fire in the building where it was housed on Moody Street in Waltham in February 1999.
Edith was formerly a long-time resident of Lexington, Massachusetts. She moved to Meeting House at Stow in 2013. She happily settled in there, enjoying the community very much. She was always quick to greet neighbors with a warm smile, hello, and a friendly hug. At 7:00 in the evening she liked to head down to the parlor to hear what her friends had been up to during the day, and she enjoyed playing in the weekly scrabble games. One of her favorite past-times was sitting on the front porch on the swing and chatting with Meeting House friends. Edith also enjoyed her twice weekly outings to the Stow Council on Aging, where she joined friends for lunch.
Edith loved animals and over the years, she had a number of Irish Wolfhounds, as well as cats.
Edith was known for her kind generosity and helping others in need. How she emerged from her difficult childhood in Germany to become who she was, was a testament to her inner core of strength and purity of spirit.
She is lovingly survived by her son, Stephen G. Kanter and his wife Karen of Stow, MA and by her grandson, Stephen J. Kanter and his partner Megan Cronce of Haddon Heights, NJ.
Due to the COVID situation, arrangements for Edith are private.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions in her name to:
Friends of the Stow Council On Aging, P.O.Box 97, Stow, MA 01775
Memorial Page: www.actonfuneralhome.com