Lake Hopatcong

My grandfather's sister, Elsa Berenberg Meyerson, lived in South Orange, NJ, and summered at a cottage on Lake Hopatcong. As a kid, the lake and cottage was one of my favorite destinations for family weekends. One reason: Aunt Elsa's husband, Sam Meyerson had (hold your breath, guys—a speedboat). Such a conveyance was unusual in my 8, 9, or 10-year old life.

But there were other reasons for enjoying the family visit, not the least of which was visiting my cute red-haired cousin Steffi Fantl and her brothers Peter, Ted, and Gene. Years later Steffi attended Swarthmore College when I was a senior there, where she met her husband-to-be John Troyer. That year I didn't hang out with Steffi very much, which I now regret, because Steffi became eligible for the legacy page of the berenblog long before her 60th birthday, having perished prematurely from a terminal illness. Steffi, I miss you. I also miss the surviving members of the Meyerson-Fantl-Troyer branch of the Berenberg clan, who are far away from California: email me, guys!—JDL