Natalie Gliedman

Natalie Gliedman died peacefully in her sleep on October 13, 2024. She will be missed.

Natalie was a proper lady to the end – always beautifully “put together,” restrained, and friendly to all. Although her ability to add new memories diminished in her final years, she was able to recount a lifetime of experiences and enjoy the new moments as they came.

Natalie Gliedman was born the youngest of five children to Leo and Katie Schwartz in Syracuse, NY. Her four older siblings nurtured and protected “Nanny,” as they used to call her. She always spoke lovingly of her home, her family, and her upbringing in Syracuse, recounting stories of riding her bicycle out to the lake to swim where her father would pick her (and her bicycle) up to bring them home on his way back from work.

While at Syracuse University, she met Marvin Gliedman, her husband-to- be. After a five-year(!) engagement while they waited for Marvin to finish his medical training, they married. For the next 45 years, they were a team. They raised two children, Chip and Joanna, (and Smitty, a rambunctious Golden Retriever) from their home in Atlantic Beach, NY.

On many Saturdays, they would tour the museums and galleries of New York City, building extensive collections of American art and Shaker furniture. Their goal was not to impress others, but to surround themselves with things that brought them joy.

Marvin and Natalie also gave back to their community, making donations of art to institutions such as Cornell University and the Montclair Art Museum among others. Additionally, Natalie served as President of the Friends of the Rock Hall Museum in Lawrence, Long Island, a pre-Revolutionary War historic house museum, and as a Trustee of SPLIA (Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities). She was a supporter of the Hancock Shaker Village and sponsor of the Enfield Shaker Museum Collectors’ Weekends.

Following her husband’s death in 2001, Natalie moved into New York City and lived in the same building as her daughter. She took full advantage of her time there, traveling all over town and playing the gracious hostess to friends, colleagues, and relatives from her perch on the Upper West Side, sharing her love of art, design, and opera.

The harsh passage of time necessitated her move to Ridgefield, CT. where she moved into Ridgefield Station (then Atria) as their second resident. Staff still recall her dancing from the car to the door as she arrived in July 2020. For four years, she charmed everyone with whom she came in contact, leaving a new set of fond memories. She was “Such a fine lady,” as we’ve heard from so many who knew her.

As per her wishes, there will be no funeral service. If desired, donations in her memory can be made to the Enfield Shaker Museum or the Friends of Rock Hall. 

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