Navy Analyst, Restaurant
Owner Sybil Klein Dies at 86
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Courtesy of Michael Klein
N avy analyst and restaurant owner
Sybil Klein died of respiratory failure
at Jefferson Abington Hospital on Dec. 13.

She was 86.

Klein and husband Robert Klein owned
and operated a coffee shop at Presidential
City Apartments on City Avenue, where
the couple lived shortly after their 1956
marriage, and later, The Pantry near
Rittenhouse Square. Though usually the
family cook and purveyor of Jewish apple
cake, brisket and matzah balls at gather-
ings for the holidays, Klein worked in the
front of the house at her luncheonettes,
warmly greeting customers.

After her husband’s death in 1969, Klein
became a Navy analyst at what is now
the Naval Supply Systems Command,
Weapons System Support in Northeast
Philadelphia, where she worked until she
retired at age 75. She was a volunteer
greeter at Jeanes Hospital, now part of
Temple University Hospital in Northeast
Philadelphia. Despite her occupational pivot, Klein
continued her practice of cooking and car-
ing for others, becoming the office mother
and grandmother at her Navy analyst
job. She remembered every co-worker’s
birthday and gave them baked goods and
would sprinkle Yiddish phrases into her
conversations with colleagues, despite
being one of the few Jews in the office.

She was particularly fond of those born in
1959, the year she became a mother.

Upon her retirement, her colleagues
gifted her a book of “Sybilisms,” filled
with phonetically spelled-out Yiddish
words (“kenahora” was a favorite) and
phrases she frequently used.

“She educated the people in her office
as to what a Jewish person is like,” said
son Michael Klein. “She was a good soul.”
Klein passed down her love of food and
hospitality: Michael Klein is a longtime
food writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer,
and granddaughter Rachel Klein is the
chef behind Miss Rachel’s Pantry, a South
Philadelphia vegan restaurant named
after Klein’s Center City luncheonette.

“I learned from her that you can feed
people to show them how much you care
about them,” Rachel Klein said.

Born in the Wynnefield neighbor-
hood of West Philadelphia in 1936, Klein
was a lifelong Philadelphian. Her father,
Solomon Matthews, was a bus driver,
and her mother, Florence Matthews, was
a homemaker. Though the family wasn’t
very religious, they tried to keep kosher
and gathered for holiday meals.

“Food is a really great common denom-
inator.…It’s a magnet; it brought every-
body together,” said Michael Klein.

Klein graduated Overbrook High
School in 1954, where she had met her
husband two years prior, both of them in
the school’s production of Rodgers and
Hammerstein’s “Carousel.”
Klein was fond of her high school years
and organized her class’ reunions. She
enjoyed the social aspect and close-knit
community she kept in her childhood:
Klein lived five blocks away from her
elementary school, and after meeting her
husband, who lived six blocks from her,
the couple moved across the street from
Klein’s parents and later to a house two
blocks away.

When Robert Klein died, Klein was
32 years old and raising three children:
Michael, Alan and Diana, who died ear-
lier. Despite becoming a widow, Klein was
an “eternal optimist,” according to Alan
Klein. “I went away to college, I thought we
were wealthy. She just always figured out
a way to hide everything from us, and
just put a big smile on her face and make
it work,” he said. “I later found out that
she didn’t know where our next meal was
coming from. But I never knew that. We
never went hungry.”
After her husband’s death, Klein made
a point to speak about Robert Klein to
her children, saying, “That was a Robert
Klein joke,” after saying something funny,
Michael Klein remembered.

Klein extended her love to her eight
grandchildren. When Rachel Klein went
vegetarian and later vegan at a young age,
Klein would make a vegetarian version of
her usual chicken-based matzah ball soup.

“There wasn’t anything for me to eat
at her shiva, which was telling of her not
being there,” Rachel Klein said. “Because
she always wanted to make sure that
everyone was accommodated, and that
everybody felt welcome.”
When the Phillies were playing in the
National League Championship Series
and World Series, Klein would watch the
games to be able to recount them with her
grandson, an avid fan.

“She did it just to keep up with him,”
Michael Klein said.

Klein was a fan of Hallmark movies and
took Yiddish classes in her 60s at what is
now KleinLife. She talked to her children
and grandchildren multiple times a week,
and made it a point to meet with former
coworkers for lunch, even shortly before
her death.

“She was an open book,” Michael Klein
said. “She had no secrets. She had no filter…
She could have a conversation with a rock.”
Klein is survived by her two sons, eight
grandchildren and three great-grand-
children. JE
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com A RESOLUTION OF
ABRAMSON SENIOR CARE
The Board of Trustees of Abramson Senior Care record with sorrow the
passing of their esteemed colleague and friend
S. Ty Steinberg z’’l
whose commitment to Jewish causes and philanthropy benefited the seniors
served by Abramson Senior Care, and who served as an example to the
entire community.

Ty joined the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) in
1978 and was a steadfast supporter of Abramson Senior Care’s mission of
providing high-quality care to seniors throughout the Philadelphia region.

He had a passion for philanthropy, which he shared with his family and his
community. Together with his loving wife, Marjorie, Ty gave generously to
numerous campaigns, including the Building for Life campaign, the Annual
Fund and the Rainbow Ball, as well as being a recipient of the prestigious
Family Award at the Rainbow Ball in 2017.

In addition to his philanthropy, Ty gave of his time and expertise, serving on
various committees and as Chair of the Personnel Committee at PGC. His
impact in the community extended beyond Abramson Senior Care, as he held
various leadership positions, including at Adath Jeshurun, Moss Rehab, and
Golden Slipper Camp/Golden Slipper Clubs and Charities.

Abramson Senior Care and our entire Jewish community were truly fortunate
to have been the beneficiary of Ty’s leadership and tzedakah, as well as his
warmth and charming spirit.

To Majorie; sons, Michael (Tammy) and Gary (Amy); his grandchildren,
Aaron (Bari), Jason (Erica), Laura, Jacob (Jaqui), Dylan, and Ethan; his great-
grandchildren, Brody, Caleb, Charlotte, Maya, and Jordana and all who
mourn his passing, the Board of Trustees of Abramson Senior Care offer this
expression of profound sympathy. May they find solace in the knowledge that
his dedication, generosity and good works will serve as a living tribute to him
and will benefit future generations.

Lorraine Drobny
Board Chair
Sean Gregson
President and CEO
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 23