PHOENIX — Sima Livshiz was born in Moscow, Russia in 1949.
She immigrated with her family in 1990 to escape antisemitism and Russia's corruption. In 1998, her family moved to Arizona from New York.
Sima's daughter said they didn't have an easy life, but their mother "had her eye on the prize" to make a better life for them.
"At times mom worked more than one job, and she worked whatever job kept us from going hungry. In fact, I can say that food was one of the biggest ways she expressed her love. Her gift was to be able to create amazing dishes from any array of ingredients. It was even one of the ways my mom participated in the Jewish community, cooking and baking meals for important events in our synagogue. She loved spending time with her family and having her wonderful circle of friends over for tea or cards."
Her family remembers her as a warm, loving, devoted mother, grandmother, daughter, friend, and even catmom. They say she was funny, smart, patient, kind and caring.
Livshiz died on July 28.