Obituary of Lisabeth Kaplan

MONTEREY, CA – Lisabeth Kaplan, 45, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 27, 2008, at her home, after a courageous year-long battle with stomach cancer. Lisabeth was born on September 3, 1963, at Stanford Hospital on the Stanford University campus. She grew up in Los Altos Hills, California, where she attended local schools and graduated from Los Altos High School in 1980. Early in her life she demonstrated extraordinary intelligence and musical talent, over time becoming an accomplished pianist, guitarist and composer. She brought her myriad of talent and energy to Grinnell College in Iowa, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1984. Lisabeth continually challenged herself by tackling professions and hobbies that tested her limits – not only bringing her adventure and satisfaction but providing joy and comfort to others. Following her graduation from Grinnell, she was a medical intern at the University of Wisconsin in Madison before returning to California to earn a music degree at the California Institute of the Arts. She settled in the Monterey/Carmel area in the late 1980s, becoming one of the first women in the region to earn her full paramedic credentials, and thereafter compassionately served the Monterey Peninsula communities as a paramedic for almost two decades until her recent illness. While she tackled her profession with unwavering dedication, she contributed her broad talents to numerous spiritual and humanitarian causes. Locally, she served as a cantorial soloist and B'nei Mitzvah tutor, and composed and arranged a litany of music for synagogues and other Jewish community organizations in the Santa Cruz and Monterey areas. An intrepid and curious traveler with a gift for foreign languages, she ventured into pre-apartheid South Africa townships, made several trips to the Middle East with interfaith peace organizations, helped spearhead the effort to restore a Jewish Cemetery in Lithuania, and proudly aided victims of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua in 1998 – the latter as a commandment of her own Bat Mitzvah which she undertook that year. Lisabeth is survived by her parents, Daniel and Rosemary Kaplan of Los Altos Hills; brother, David Kaplan and his wife, Lisa of Oakland; brother, Dan Kaplan of Sunnyvale and sister, Deborah Kaplan and her husband, John Bartkowiak of Oakland. She is also survived by three nephews and a niece as well as numerous devoted friends and her beloved cat, Safah. A private celebration of Lisabeth's life is planned. For those wishing to make a donation, Lisabeth would want people to support the charity closest to their heart, or the Monterey County SPCA – Humane Society, 1002 Salinas Hwy., Monterey, CA 93940, (831) 422-4721.