Duchen

Laura Eve Duchen passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at the age of 68, with her beloved husband and children at her side, after bravely battling numerous simultaneous illnesses. Laura was born on April 24, 1952, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the fourth child of Montie and Beryl Simon (of Blessed Memory). Laura was a wife, mother, and grandmother. She attended a Jewish Day School in Johannesburg in her teenage years, where she was a driven and dedicated athlete with a fierce but fair competitiveness. She represented her school in swimming, netball, and field hockey, leading her school to numerous victories. She attended the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She was one of only two female students in her class to graduate with a Degree in Architecture. Laura also represented the university in squash. She met David Duchen in their first year at university, and after dating for 2 ½ years, they married on January 21, 1973, while both still students preparing for their respective professions. After graduating in 1976, she worked in her father's architecture firm, first helping with hospital design and then excelling in kitchen design. During that time, she and David had two children, Terri and Marc. In 1982, Laura and her family emigrated to the United States. She initially decided to be a stay at home mom, which gave her the opportunity to be involved with her children's school, where she taught art to the kids and was involved in the school's PTA and Girl Scouts. Laura had a gift for communication and language, being able to discuss a wide range of topics, including design, history, art, architecture, religion, and more, with equal parts precision and affection. This skill was especially valuable while her children were growing up. She often shared expressions in other languages like Yiddish, Afrikaans, Hebrew, and Zulu. Eventually, Laura's yearning to return to Architecture led her to an adjunct professorship in the School of Architecture at the University of Houston. Before she began teaching, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, delaying the teaching position temporarily. Ultimately, her health did not permit her to take the position permanently. Laura was told that exercise was the best therapy for her recovery, but unable to find convenient squash facilities, she took up tennis with help from her husband and a few professional lessons. She ultimately achieved Open Championship level proficiency in tennis, where she used her "age and treachery" to outwit and outplay younger players, who had lots of power but lacked patience. Unfortunately, while the recurrence of breast cancer and numerous other medical issues precluded her from teaching, her tennis career more than made up for it. Tennis was more than a sport to Laura - it also opened the door to a long-lasting, close circle of friends that transcended age, religion, politics, and nationality. During the following years, she volunteered on the children's high school PTA and helped found an international club for mothers of other immigrant children at the high school, with the purpose of sharing information about their cultures and cuisine. A small group from that original organization were still meeting monthly until Covid-19 suspended their endeavors. Laura was also active in Hadassah, where she held numerous leadership positions in her local chapter, including President; additionally, she was a long-time Keeper of the Gate contributor. Laura loved to travel and share her world travel experience with her husband, and, of course, her two children when they could accompany them - going to museums and art galleries, seeing all kinds of architecture (giving them all an education), and observing wonderful scenery. Her only regret is that she saw more of the rest of the world than of her new home country - the USA - and it was in her plans to visit some of the major national parks. As a result of her extensive travels, she managed to experience cultures in over 50 countries and step onto every continent except Australia. A favorite destination was Maui, which reminded Laura of her favorite beach at Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. Ever the competitor, she and David routinely played beach bats and had a personal record of 1,429 hits. Of Laura's many other interests and passions, two particularly stand out. First, she had a green thumb, and while she was always improving the garden year-round, her prize was her spectacular azalea display each spring around the pool and house. She poured her gardening and design expertise into creating a backyard oasis that her entire family enjoyed. Second, she grew up with dogs and, for as long as she was married, she always had a cocker spaniel in the house; she leaves behind one very spoiled and sad dog. Her attitude toward dogs can be summed up by a placard at the entrance of the Duchen home: "The dog and her servants live here." Laura had a 60th birthday present that most people can only dream of - her first granddaughter was born on her birthday - and they developed a special bond as a result. She was adored by both her grandchildren, who absolutely loved her cooking and baking. She always had "something special" for them to eat whenever they visited. Two of her many dessert specialties were her cupcakes and meringues, which she had great pleasure in sharing with a wide circle of friends and family in Houston and Toronto. One of Laura's enduring characteristics was that she was extremely generous with gifts for all occasions, using her discerning eye to always select the perfect gift and card for every occasion, and they always arrived on time. Her talent for appraisal, combined with an ability to rapidly arrive at a decision, was leveraged for anything she had a say in, whether it be pet, husband, sports, design, culinary arts, and shopping - arguably in that order of importance. She also loved to help others and would go out of her way to help, provide guidance, advice, and, especially, common sense medical information to others that she had learned through her own experiences and hardships. She was an outstanding caregiver to her parents, but that too took a toll on her health. Despite so many personal health setbacks, about which most of her closest friends did not even know since she was a very private person, she was an incredible pillar of strength, made everyone feel special, and generated so may positive experiences among her family and friends. She was always looking out for others at her own expense, while never complaining and deftly shifting the conversation away from herself, never craving the center of attention. It was only in the most recent months that her health declined precipitously; eventually, she succumbed after an incredibly brave fight. Laura was predeceased by her parents and her oldest sister, Jill Levy. She is survived by and deeply missed by her beloved husband David, daughter Terri (Adam), son Marc, grandchildren Caroline and Rebecca, sister Dale Phillips, brother Peter Simon, nephews and nieces in Toronto, New Jersey, California, and Houston, and family and friends all over the world. A private funeral took place on Thursday, September 24, 2020, at Beth Yeshurun Post Oak Cemetery. Rabbi Ranon Teller and Cantor Mark Levine officiated. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Laura's memory to Hadassah or a Jewish charity of your choice.

Duchen

April 24, 1952 - September 22, 2020