Edith Molton, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, passed away due to heart failure on Nov. 20 at the age of 93. She had been getting around well and had been in good health until one week earlier.
Edith was born in Mainz, Germany, on Feb. 3, 1922. She maintained a connection to her hometown throughout her life, and remained close to her childhood best friends (who were not Jewish) as long as they were alive.
During the Nazi years, she left school and worked for a champagne factory at a young age. In 1940, she and her mother obtained some of the last visas issued for entry into the USA, and in September, one year after the start of World War II, they left Germany.
After a remarkable journey by train and boat across Siberia, occupied China and Japan, they arrived in the United States and settled in St. Louis, where they had relatives. After a few years there, they moved to Los Angeles in 1943.
In 1947, Edith married Stephen Molton, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces, and also an immigrant from Germany. They had one son, Lawrence, born in 1954.
After an early career as a dress model in the garment industry, Edith worked as a secretary for the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, at a time when the agency was involved in challenging epidemiological research. She always described this work as the most exciting of her career.
Edith and her family moved to Palo Alto in 1955. She worked for almost 36 years at SRI International, a global consulting firm in Menlo Park. She was initially a secretary, and later worked as a translator of World War II records and as the administrative assistant to the Director of Security.
After her retirement from SRI in 1991, she took a part-time job with the Jewish Community Relations Council for a short time.
In her post-retirement years she was an active member of a new synagogue, Congregation Etz Chayim. She served on its board of directors and as the chair of two committees. As co-chair of the membership committee, she helped the synagogue grow to nearly ten times its size in a few years. She continued to attend services there every Friday night for many years thereafter.
Edith is survived by her son, Lawrence (Avra) of Castro Valley; her granddaughters Naomi of Spokane, Washington, and Marnina (Todd) of San Rafael; her four great-grandchildren; and her niece, Jenny Miller, of Tehachapi.
She is also survived by her goddaughter, Sahara Lirone, of Burlingame.
Funeral services were held on Nov. 25. Contributions in her name may be sent to Congregation Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto 94306.