Erna Silbermann Neuberger, 88, of Baker City, died Dec. 28, 2005, at her home.
Her graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Beth Israel Cemetery in Portland.
Erna was born on Sept. 15, 1917, at Vienna, Austria. She was a daughter of Chaim Hersch Silbermann and Gisela Wolf Silbermann. She attended school at Vienna and then became a dressmaker, working for a high-fashion shop that catered to affluent people like Marlene Dietrich, who had her suits made there.
With Germany’s annexation of Austria in March 1938, Austria became an increasingly dangerous place in which to live for the Jewish people. A cousin of Erna’s obtained a permit for her to live in England with her and Erna left Austria in the fall of 1938.
Erna’s father, a clothing store owner in Vienna, refused to leave his native Austria. Even though Erna tried to keep in touch with her father through a cousin in Switzerland, she eventually lost touch with him and presumed that he died a victim of the Holocaust. The last time Erna saw her father was when he was standing on the platform in Vienna when she boarded the train for England.
In 1943, Erna met Gert Neuberger in England when her sister-in-law (Gert’s cousin) introduced them. They were married in a synagogue in the London, England, suburb In St. John’s Wood on Jan. 16, 1944.
In October 1945, six months after the end of war in Europe, Gert was discharged from the U.S. Army and returned home. A few months after his return, Erna joined him in Baker City.
Gert returned to the furniture business with his brother, Bert Neuberger. In 1960, Gert and Erna opened their own furniture store, “Gert Neuberger Furniture,” specializing in higher-end furniture. For the next 42 years, the Neuberger’s sold furniture to families in Eastern Oregon. They retired in 2002.
Survivors include her husband of 61 years, Gert Neuberger; her daughters, Patricia and Rosalyn Neuberger of Beaverton; her son, Robert Neuberger of Portland; and grandson, Stuart Neuberger of Portland.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, December 30, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor