Winifred Mendelson Pahl

Winifred Mendelson Pahl

December 21, 1926 – April 11, 2022

Winifred Pahl, Age 95 of Sunrise, Florida passed away on Monday, April 11, 2022.

Wini was born in Union City, New Jersey and was married to Gerhardt George Pahl on June 15, 1958. She raised 1 daughter. She lived in Union City and North Bergen, New Jersey.  She moved her family to Commack, L.I., New York.  In 1978 she moved her family to Florida.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerhardt George Pahl in 1970 and her brother, Samuel Mendelson in 2020 and her parents Louis Mendelson and Helen Kruse Mendelson.

She loved spending time with her family, her fur babies and making new friends.

She enjoyed her church, ballroom dancing, especially Latin style, which she did at Roberto’s Dance Studio during the 70’s and the 80’s, poetry and reading, going out to eat at her favorite restaurants, especially Italian food, seafood and her blueberry pancakes, eating sweets, especially cherry and key lime pies, especially her dark chocolate Hershey’s kisses, milk shakes, chicken pot pie and macaroni and cheese. She loved to laugh and loved a good sense of humor. She loved to exercise and workout every day and go for walks which she attributed it to her longevity.  She loved sitting outside and looking at nature and the flowers.  She loved to pray and did it every day, several times a day as she loved her God and Jesus Christ. She had a beautiful devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary and always she shared her faith with others.

When she was very young, she enjoyed the summer at her grandparent’s home in Spring Valley, New Jersey and loved their whippet Quipsey. This started her love of animals. She loved dogs, cats, birds, butterflies and elephants. Actually, she loved all living creatures.  She also loved trips to Upstate New York, New York City to see shows on Broadway, Canada, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard, Virginia, Washington D.C, Hamptons, N.Y. and Montauk Point, L.I. She truly enjoyed her trips to Miami Beach, Florida when she was living in New Jersey.  In 1948 and 1949 it was the time of the Big Band Era.  She had the opportunity to meet and know the Havana Cuban boys who were known in the movies as the Mambo Kings. Her sister, Harriet and her brother Samuel came down to visit and they all had great moments together. 

She loved her music especially those of the Big Band era, such as Glenn Miller Band, Benny Goodman Band and Frank Sinatra, which she had seen 100 of times when she was a young girl. She loved going to Westbury Music Fair and Sunrise Musical Theatre to see many shows. Wini had the opportunity to work at Mutual Broadcasting out of New York City which later became NBC. She met many famous people of the time there.   She personally knew Nat King Cole known for his song Unforgettable, which was one of her favorites and Cary Grant.  She frequently had lunch with both of them during her time working there.  

Later she loved the music of Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and Michael Bublé. 

She was a very classy lady and always had to have her lipstick on as she said you never know who you are going to meet.  She had the beautiful gift of gab and talking to strangers and always being kind and helping others.

She also worked at Sweets Company of America known as Tootsie Rolls in Hoboken, New Jersey. Wini’s father, Louis Mendelson had a personal relationship with the President of Tootsie Rolls and Hershey. Her father had his own candy distribution business called North Hudson Candy Company which was located on Summit Avenue in Union City New Jersey.

Once moving to Florida, she worked at Snelling and Snelling in Fort Lauderdale, FL and was a recruiter as she loved helping people to find jobs.  She worked at Motorola, Inc, Plantation, FL for 10 years as an Executive Secretary. She worked in the Special Applications Department and worked in the Legal Department with 28 Patton Attorneys.

At the end of the 1990’s from age 65 onward, she worked at various companies including Service America, Roto Rooter and Bank Atlantic in various positions.  She also worked at the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Broward County as a recruiter helping others to find employment. She loved to work and didn’t retire until she was 80.

She was a grandma to her fur babies, Tango the dog and Sierra the cat and previously deceased Cleo, Pinky and Lacey- felines and her love of her life, Cookie the Shetland Sheep dog who she adored. 

She is survived by her loving daughter Susan Quintela and her husband Pablo Quintela, her sister Harriet Ignozzi and her husband Anthony Ignozzi. Sister-In-Law, Lynn Mendelson; niece Cheryl Mendelson and nephew, Steven Mendelson.  

She is going to be missed by all, but we know she is reunited with her husband, Gerhardt George Pahl, dancing in the clouds of heaven!

Donations are suggested to be sent to Broward Humane Society or American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.