Birth date: Jan 17, 1948 Death date: Oct 26, 2025
Elissa "Lisa" Toni (Shavin) Tempkin, 77, passed away on October 26, 2025 in Tucson, Arizona. Elissa was born on January 17, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Ruth (Piassick) Shavin and Samuel Joseph Shavin. Elissa graduat Read Obituary
These imags (in no particular order) were supposed to be played at mom's memorial service. Enjoy!
attended Elissa's memorial service on Zoom, but for some reason I was not recognized as being online nor could anyone hear me when I tried to attract attention. I had my hand raised for quite some time, but it seems no one could see me. I did have a lot of trouble getting into the service on my iPad, so I'm guessing there was some technological glitch even though I could see and hear everything.
That being said, I was truly honored to see that Andrea and Chris attended and heard Richard's comments. I intended to say that although I never met Elissa, it amazed me how she jumped in to contact Andrea and Chris once Bob was "found." Growing up, my father always spoke of Atlanta cousins and I basically blew it off because I never met them or knew much about them apart from the fact that I had relatives in Atlanta. My only connection was a birthday gift I received from Aunt Anna and Aunt Rose from Rich's Department store. Even with that generosity, they were remote people to a child growing up in NYC. The connections I have made to my "Atlanta cousins" since getting involved in genealogy in 1993 have been nothing short of amazing. I, too, am saddened at the loss of four cousins in such a short time. Richard, I can't thank you enough for keeping me informed of the life events of my Atlanta cousins. Of course, the births and marriages are much more exciting than learning of those who have passed away. While Richard and others have their cousin memories from growing up together, we have turned into quite a group of second cousins!
Heather, you are part of that connection as we both recall when we met for dinner in NYC, probably over 20 years ago. That you have maintained our connection speaks to the legacy of your mom that you are carrying with you.
Again, my regrets at not being able to speak at the service although I was so very glad I was able to attend.
With sincere sympathy,
Rhoda
We were so grateful to meet Lisa in 2021. My father-in-law was her long lost second cousin. He never knew about his mother’s side of the family until 2019, and was very happy to know he had a large extended family, one even in the very town he raised his family, Tucson.
Mom loved to celebrate...everything and everyone! She took great pleasure in finding the perfect gifts to make people feel loved and decorations to create a festive environment. Here's a video taken New Year's Eve 2019, where the family sings "Happy Birthday" for the upcoming January family birthdays. The tribute to Mom for her upcoming 71st birthday is in the middle of the video.
I feel so grateful to have met Heather’s and Ross’s mom — a truly graceful and caring woman with so much warmth and love. I am sure that so much of the love, strength, and kindness I cherish in Heather comes from her.
Holding you and your family close in my heart and sending love during this difficult time.
Mom thought photo distortion on cellphones was clever and funny! We all had a good laugh together when she made these.
Thanksgiving memories.
Mom loved music and to sing along. This was her 70th birthday at the Gaslight Theater in Tucson, where we saw "Menopause the Musical." She loved to join in whenever there was audience participation!
