Rae Jaben died on Jan. 28 at the age of 101.
She had been called “fancy” by her granddaughter Ariel Mesnick of Atlanta, Georgia. Many others had called her “elegant,” “beautiful,” “sweet” and “classy.”
Rae was all those adjectives and so much more. Her legacy are her children: Cheryl (Eddie) Feintech, Jan (Joab) Jaben-Eilon, Keith (Cathy) Jaben, Darla Jaben, Bruce (Galina) Jaben and Cynthia Gayle. Teri Ohrenstein predeceased Rae. Her grandchildren include Lisa (Steve) Meyer, Mindy Esqueda, Elizabeth (Peter) Gilman, Daniel (Shannon) Jaben and Ariel Mesnick. Great-grandchildren include Alex Esqueda, Mina Esqueda and Danny Esqueda.
She is also survived by nephew Marc Jaben, niece Lauren (Peter) Jaben and niece Linda Henning.
Everyone loved Rae, including the staff at Solana East Cobb, where she lived since Dec. 1, 2023, and sadly died. On her recent birthday, another resident came over to where Rae was sleeping in a chair and said, “I really love her.”
Rae Frances Horovitz was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 7, 1925. She was predeceased by her parents, Louis and Lauretta; brother, Maurice Horovitz; and sister, Reveley Horovitz.
She married one of her many high school suitors, Lawrence Richard Jaben, in 1945. He died in 1962, at age 37.
She then married his first cousin, Edward Jaben, who died in 2016.
It was as Edward’s wife that Rae became the epitome of a corporate wife, hosting elegant gourmet meals for his business associates. She joined him on luxurious business trips to exotic destinations, including Thailand, but also France, Italy, Spain and Israel. She was in her element when she was wined and dined abroad.
Rae loved being with people, and she attracted people with her beautiful, warm smile and her willingness to listen to people. She had good instincts about people, and she probably shared her insight with her two husbands.
Before moving to Atlanta in 2017, Rae chaired several lavish fundraisers for the Lyric Stage in Irving, Texas, snagging longtime family friend and well-known singer Marilyn Maye to sing for the always-successful events.
Besides reveling in social situations, Rae was a first-class bridge player and played tennis until she was about 90. Going through passport control in Spain after a cruise with her daughters in 2012, the officials gaped at her birth year in disbelief. No one could ever guess her age.
Even as her memory started slipping away in the last decade, Rae was always smiling and appreciative of those who tried to help her with the increasingly difficult tasks of living. And she especially loved being with her family. She took much deserved joy and satisfaction from her children and their descendants.
