Reflecting on the 10 Year Anniversary of My Mom’s Death (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)

April 27, 2025 · by · in Family & Friends

Gail Schlachter, Palo Alto

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of my mom’s death. In many ways, it feels just like yesterday. I still think about her every day, and the entire family feels her influences constantly.

But, as the expression says, life goes on. This blog post rounds up some of what mom has missed since her death.

My mom derived great joy from celebrating her family’s achievements. She would make significant personal sacrifices to attend family events big and small, from major milestone birthdays to everyday school performances. She would have loved to be a part of our regular family gatherings for birthdays and Jewish holidays. She especially would have celebrated these major milestone events [this list is just for the Goldman family; my sister and the Hirsh/Halsner families would have their own list]:

At each of these events, we have felt my mom’s virtual presence, but she would have much preferred to be there in person.

Nowadays, my mom would be kvelling with grandmotherly pride at my kids’ college journeys–my daughter at University of Oregon and my son at Berkeley City College (I’ll have a post about the next step in his college journey shortly).

My mom would have also taken great pride in my professional and personal milestone events over the past decade. The ones I think would have meant the most to her:

(Other major milestones from the last decade relate directly to her passing, including liquidating all of her properties, closing her estate, and purchasing a vacation rental on the Mendocino Coast with her money. Those milestones would not have existed if she were still alive today).

With respect to my wife, she would marvel at the relative normalcy of my wife’s life 11+ years after her Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis.

On less happy notes, my mom missed the death of her dog Laddie, the death of her husband, Trump 1.0, the COVID pandemic, and Trump 2.0. All of these developments would have caused her great distress.

Blog Posts About Gail Schlachter Hauser’s Death

* I’ve Finished Work on My Mom and Stepdad’s Estates
* The Legacies of My Mom, Dr. Gail Schlachter Hauser (1943-2015)
* Announcing the “Gail Schlachter Financial Aid Directory Collection” at San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives
* How Reference Service Press Books Acknowledge My Mom’s Career & Life (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* PROJECT COMPLETE: I’ve Finished Selling My Mom’s Real Estate Portfolio
* Announcing the Helen B. and Lewis E. Goldstein Scholarship Fund
* Remarks From Gail Schlachter’s Induction Into the California Library Hall of Fame (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* Memorial For My Mom At The ALA Annual Meeting (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* Patricia Schuman’s Remembrance of Gail Schlachter Hauser (1943-2015)
* Dimi Berkner’s Eulogy For My Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* Remembrance From My Mom’s Lifelong Friend, David Weber (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* Remembrance from Sumyyah Bilal
* An Example of How My Mom’s Books Helped Students (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* My Sister’s Eulogy For Our Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* My Eulogy For My Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* From my wife: Gail Schlachter, My Mother-in-law, Remembered
* Selected Remembrances of Gail Schlachter Hauser (1943-2015)
* My First Mother’s Day Without My Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015)
* Signs That My Mom Is Still Thinking of Us (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015)
* My Mom’s Idea of a “Really Good Day” (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015)
* Initial Reflections on Losing a Parent (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015)
* My Mom Died: Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015