Batia Trietsch passed away in July, 2000, a victim of metastatic breast cancer. This page is designed to introduce the world to a woman whose loss is still felt deeply by all who knew her.

Batia worked in programming and data management at a not-for-profit organization known as Public/Private Ventures until her death in July, 2000. She was also an amateur actress, a talented (though untrained) singer, and a witty conversationalist. Always the life of the party, always ready with an insightful comment, Batia was also a sympathetic listener and a wonderful shoulder to lean on.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1946, Batia Oleshnik grew up in the intense atmosphere of a nation almost constantly under the threat of war. She was active in a variety of youth movements, and, like all of her generation, enlisted in the Israeli Army. A friend introduced her to Dov Trietsch when she was 19. She and Dov soon fell in love, and were married in 1967. They had their first (and only) child, Irith, in 1969. Soon after, Dov Trietsch was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Engineering (now the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering), so the family moved to Philadelphia. The next three decades saw Dov, Batia, and Irith flying back and forth between Israel and the United States frequently. Batia never lost sight of her abiding love for Israel, but over time she developed deep connections to her adopted home as well.

Batia was first diagnosed with breast cancer in September, 1997. After chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she went into remission, but the cancer re-emerged in March, 2000. She passed away on July 7, 2000. Her funeral was very well attended, and many friends and family mourn her loss.

The Kyle Kravitz Annex

Batia Trietsch is buried in the same cemetery as (and in fact, within sight of the grave of) Irith's childhood and adulthood friend Kyle Kravitz. He also died of cancer, though he passed away much younger than Batia.

Kyle died March 8, 1996, at the Albert Einstein Medical Center, of complications of a malignant bone tumor. He was only 26, and at the start of what promised to be a wonderful career as an attorney at Duane, Morris & Heckscher, a Philadelphia law firm.

Kyle and Irith first met and became friends when they were in Myers Elementary School. They suffered through Elkins Park Middle School together, and then shared a rewarding high school experience at Cheltenham High School. When Irith enrolled at Penn, Kyle enrolled at Haverford College. Since Penn was not too far away, they managed to see each other frequently. After graduation, Irith moved to Japan and Kyle moved on to Villanova Law School and the beginnings of a successful law career, but they stayed close despite the demands of their lives and the great physical distance between them.

Learning of Kyle's death was a great blow to all who knew him. His friends and family will never stop missing him.

For more information on the early detection and prevention of cancer, check out the American Cancer Society web site , or the National Cancer Institute's web site . To make a donation to breast cancer research, buy "'breast cancer awareness" stamps at your local post office , or click here for information on the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" program. Click here for more information from the American Cancer Society on how to contribute to cancer research in general.