66 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Remembering Rhona
I mourn the passing of a great
friend and mother and businesswoman,
lawyer and
caterer Rhona Silver, only 66
years old.
Rhona died suddenly of a massive
heart attack in her home
literally only minutes after she
responded to my daughter
Samantha's text invitation to
Thanksgiving dinner with our
family. She was a welcome guest
at our homes; just last week, she
generously brought to my house
a caldron of chicken soup she
made for my grandkids — with
extra carrots for Addy because
she knew she loved carrots! That
was Rhona.
Born in the Bronx to a family
in the catering business, it was
in her DNA to have a career in
that world but she did earn a law
degree at Hofstra and passed
the bar to practice law for a
few years. She went into the
catering business and ran one
of the most sought-after and
prestigious temples in the Five
Towns.
But she heard about the
potential to purchase the
Huntington Town House, well
located on the crossroads of
Jericho Turnpike and Route
110 in Melville. And with savvy
and guts, she took on the purchase
of the catering facility
and remarkably and successfully
ran the legendary place with
its nine ballrooms.
Rhona often talked with nostalgia
how, in her high heels, she
ran from one party to another
making sure every detail was to
her specifications.
She sold the facility and sadly
became embroiled in a lawsuit
with a man whom she believed
conned her out of the money
from the sale. For almost a
decade, she had been fighting
through the courts. He may have
taken her money, but no one
could steal her brains or her talent.
Nonetheless, Rhona ran a successful
select boutique clientele
catering business, CaterBid,
and proudly created the wedding
for Rudy Giuliani and
Donna Hanover’s son Andrew
to Zivile at the beautiful Battery
Park Gardens. She was sought
after by the Palm Beach, Florida
party scene people and had just
returned from creating a spectacular
wedding at Mar-a-Lago,
Donald Trump’s famous resort.
Although her lawsuit took too
much of her life, she adored her
two children Matt and Rebecca
and her two grandchildren. She
found love with Marty Miller
and they were planning their
wedding.
Rhona had an impact on thousands
of people whose lives she
touched through business and
friendship. I will miss her loving
presence and precious friendship.
Rest in peace, dear Rhona, and
you will get justice!
Shopping at the Outlets
The previous Saturday, I
went to Westhampton to
close my apartment since
the co-op is boarded up for
the winter and I had to empty
my refrigerator and take home
some summer clothes. With the
sun shining warmly, I walked
down to the empty beach. It
felt so good to have the sand
and surf to myself. I just sat
and took in the scene and sun,
shutting my eyes as I listened
to the pounding ocean against
the beach. There is something
calming about that sound and I
just took it all in for a few hours.
What a rejuvenating time!
But then, back on my
“horse,” as I drove to a store
in the Tanger Outlets in Deer
Park, where a fundraiser for
Book Fairies is going to be
held on Nov. 16.
Book Fairies is the creation
of one woman, Amy
Zaslansky, who saw a need to
bring books to children who
have none on Long Island and
in the boroughs. She has successfully
collected and distributed
thousands of books.
I went to the outlets for the
first time and I felt like I was lost
in a maze and would never find
my way out. It was a terrifying
feeling. I’m amazed how bad the
signage is throughout the multiple
aisles. I finally found the
store I was looking for by calling
the manager multiple times,
asking where to park in the
huge mall and then how to navigate
to find his store. Getting
out of the mall was even worse
in the dark night, asking shoppers
who were as much in the
dark as I was about where the
stores are in the mall. The map
I got was not helpful and there
were no staff people to ask. I
finally found my way out but
I’m not going back alone anytime
soon!
A great adventure with a great gala
I had the pleasure of
being the MC at the
Chinese American Hotel
Association Gala at my favorite,
recently renovated Terrace
on the Park in Flushing
Meadows Park.
I had been invited to visit
Beijing, Shanghai, and two other
cities by Thomas Chen, CEO of
Crystal Windows, as a media
partner. It was great fun and the
two-week trip ended with the
beginning of new friendships.
Several of my travel companions
became Kings of Queens
and Power Women. We dined
together and enjoyed many
happy occasions over the following
two years.
So when they were planning
their gala they said, “Vicki,
you know how to run events.
Would you organize ours?”
And so I did!
Life is truly a great adventure.
Here I am in China with Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and John and Winnie Lam