Obituary of Veronica Foldes Frame

Veronica Földes Frame Born June 12th, 1919 in Budapest, Hungary, Veronica Földes Frame—passed peacefully while dreaming, August 4th, 2014 in Princeton, New Jersey, at 9:31 a.m. Born Jewish, Veronica was raised with a dual spirituality, and in her 20's converted to Christianity, becoming a Methodist. Her Christian faith, however, did not shield her from the brutalities of World War II. A survivor of the Holocaust and Nazi atrocities, and later the ravages of Stalin, a widowed Veronica escaped Hungary at age 30, with her 6 year old son Matthew. Miklos Erdelyi, her husband, died in Auschwitz in 1944. It was an 8-year journey to American citizenship—from Budapest to the countryside, carried through minefields into Austria, and by ship to Venezuela. In 1958, the journey was complete, and she and her son Matthew became U.S. citizens, settling down in Forest Hills, Queens, in New York City. While living in Caracas, Veronica married an Italian Engineer, Emilio Falchocchio, and became a stepmother to his three children—Marinella, Giancarlo, and Pia. Just a few years after moving to the USA, Veronica was widowed a second time. Veronica joined the First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills soon after arriving in NYC, where she later met her third husband, Dr. John D. Frame. In 1962, she and John Frame married—and she became stepmother to his three children—Sally, David, and Deborah. Veronica finished her Bachelor of Arts degree at Hunter College, and later received her Master of Social Work from New York University. A family counselor for years, Veronica ended her professional career as a school social worker. While working for the Board of Education, Veronica began to write her book, "On Whom I Have Mercy," a title she took from both the Old and the New Testaments (Exodus 33:19 and Romans 9:15), completing it upon her retirement in 1991. The book is a testimony of crafted courage and the white-knuckled will to survive; a novelized version of her own life story—a portrait of the artist as a young Jewish woman, struggling to understand her Christian faith and Jewish identity during the tumult and horrors of the Holocaust. Though widowed three times, Veronica's last marriage to Dr. John D. Frame, an esteemed Tropical Disease doctor and former medical missionary, lasted 45 very happy years. In her last few years she moved to Princeton, New Jersey to be near her son. She is survived by her son Matthew, his wife Diane, two granddaughters—Karina and Maya—and one great granddaughter—Anaïs. From her 6 step-children, she has 15 step-grandchildren, and great grandchildren, all of whom she loved very much. Matriarch. Mother. Writer. Grandmother. Wife. Survivor. Woman of deep abiding faith. Veronica Földes Frame was a woman of many seasons, an indomitable warrior, and a beacon of what is possible in the face of the seemingly impossible. She will be greatly missed by many.