BURLINGTON — Fannie (Levine) Travis, 92, of Brooklyn, New York, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 8, at Lahey Medical Center in Burlington.
Fannie was born and raised in Brooklyn, one of nine children of the late Frank Levine and Rose (Heller) Levine. She served her country honorably as an Army nurse during World War II. She married Elias Travis on December 26, 1948 and was the devoted mother of five children. Due to the career of her husband, they eventually moved to Rochester, New York but Brooklyn was never far from her heart or mind. Fannie or “Fay” was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Fannie worked for JB Hunter selling small appliances, and later for BJ’s in packaged foods sales. She was an innately charming woman whose engaging demeanor was a perfect match for sales. She made deep connections with friends, family, and people she had never met through her 90 years of life. Fannie was a born saleswoman but her true love was her family. She was a dedicated homemaker, and friend, lover and partner through life to her husband, Elias.
Raised in the Jewish community of Brooklyn, Fannie held her family’s culture close to her heart through faith filled holidays and yearly traditions. She enjoyed negotiating with street vendors at local farmers markets and often lamented that nothing compared to her favorite, Hebrew National hot dogs.
Fannie found that simple pleasures brought her the most joy in life. She loved freshly squeezed orange juice so she bought cases of oranges so she could make it herself. Her favorite food was roast chicken, her favorite color was red, and she loved picnicking with her family. Fannie was an animal lover, especially dogs, and loved Barbara Streisand or any music from the 1940’s and 50’s.
For many years she talked of the allure of travelling. It was later in life when it became a reality. She enjoyed trips to Alaska and China with her sister, and accompanied by her son returned to her husband’s native Israel. When her children were younger, she and Elias loved trips in the car to visit relatives and occasional camping trips in the Northeast.
Fay was the beloved wife of the late Elias Travis with whom she shared 63 years of marriage. She was the devoted mother of Robin Travis of Germantown, MD, Evans Travis and his wife Dorothy of Melrose, Lee Schollnick and her husband Alan of Valencia, CA, Donald Travis and his wife Susan of Slatington, PA, and Ellen Travis of San Jose, CA. She was the dear sister of Vivian Becker of FL, and 7 deceased siblings. She was cherished grandmother of Sarah R. Travis, Jessie R. Travis, Katherine R. Travis, Alexander M. Travis, David E. Travis, Travis J. Schollnick, and Hailey E. Schollnick. She was the loving great-grandmother of Eli Travis. She was the sister-in-law to Harold and Irene Travis of CA. She is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
Services will be private. Interment in MA National Cemetery, Bourne. Gifts in honor of Fannie’s life may be made to Temple Beth Shalom, 21 E. Foster St., Melrose, MA 02176 (https://www.tbsma.org/), or Phinney’s Friends, PO Box 425, Lincoln, MA 01773 (https://www.phinneysfriends.org/) or Unleashed//FCNY, PO Box 8175, NY, NY 10150 (https://www.unleashedny.org/get-involved/donate/)
Arrangements by Robinson Funeral Home, Melrose. For online tribute, condolences, or to share a memory, visit RobinsonFuneralHome.com
