Born Luisa Auerbach in Argentina in 1936, she was the daughter of Ana Meister Auerbach and Abraham “Abe” Auerbach, who worked in the fabric industry and was a lifelong scholar.

Her parents had fled the Nazi violence that overtook their shtetl in Poland, seeking refuge in Argentina. Life there, however, brought hardships of its own. After her father won the lottery, the family emigrated to the United States, where Luisa was renamed Lucy by an agent at Ellis Island.
She grew up in the Bronx, in a home alive with Spanish, Yiddish and English. A gifted pianist with a fondness for Russian literature and jazz, she attended New York City’s prestigious High School of Music & Art. She later went to college in Queens, where she met Harvey Friedland, an engineering student with a go-getter personality; the two married in 1961.

After Lucy graduated and earned her master’s degree the Friedlands settled in New York, later relocating to Princeton, New Jersey. Lucy devoted her professional life to teaching students with special needs, bringing patience, compassion and understanding to her classroom.

She is survived by her daughter, Ilana Friedland Kukoff, 61; her son, Jared Friedland, 50, and his wife, Allyson Albert Friedland; and four grandchildren: Zachary Kukoff, 31; Alexandra Kukoff, 27; Hunter Friedland, 6; and Gavin Friedland, 3.
Her life was shaped by her love for her family and her work ethic, along with her dedication to the Jewish values of education, tzedakah, and family. She leaves behind a legacy of resilience, learning and love.

May her memory always be a blessing.