Esther I. Yanku
DATELINE: CRANSTON
Yanku, Esther I., 90, died Thursday, February 11, 2021 at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. Born and raised in Providence, a daughter of the late David and Bertha (Shaw) Lecht. Esther was the wife of the late Leonard Yanku and a devoted mother of Robert Yanku (Lorraine) of North Kingstown, Alan Yanku (Cheri) of Lincoln, Steven Yanku (Gail) of Warwick, Lisa Maroni (David) of Cranston and the late Sharyn Wilk. She was the dear sister of the late Haskell “Phil” Lecht and adored grandmother of Saul, Jason, Michelle, Sean, Alysha, Nathan, Mikaela, Brett, Max, Eric, Georgia and Jackson. With nine great grandchildren, she was cherished by Levi, Tobias, Isiah, Drew, Ava, Mila, Braden, Molly and Anna.
A longtime resident of Cranston, she worked as a crossing guard in Providence in the 1950s, the Shepard Company Department Store during the 1960s. Esther had a 35-year career at Citizens Bank, serving the bulk of her career at their Cranston locations and later working at several other locations, as well for the corporate offices. Esther had a wide variety of interests and pursuits. Foremost, she loved and was very proud of her family and delighted in family gatherings. Loving to travel, she melded that passion with a part time job as a travel agent, and for many years she traveled throughout the US and the world. She loved the performing arts and served as a volunteer for PPAC. She loved reading, dancing, dining out, and in her younger years she was an accomplished bowler.
Due to COVID regulations, the funeral services and Shiva will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Jewish Family Service of RI.
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Contact
Shalom Memorial Chapel
1100 New London Ave
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 463-7771
(877) 463-7771
Fax: (401) 463-7850
ShalomChapel@aol.com
Dear Sharon and brothers, I am very saddened to hear about my long and dear friend Esther. We had a lifetime relationship. We lived in the same house and had a lot of the same interests.
May she Rest In Peace and may her memories be a blessing.
You have my deepest sympathy.
Love, Bev
my deepest condolences to alan, robert, steve, and the rest of the yanku family.
My sincere condolences for your loss. I will keep her and all of you in my prayers.
Dear Bob, Alan, Steven, and Lisa & families,
My sincere condolences on your dear mother’s passing. I have many memories of sharing in your family gatherings and Esther beaming with pride, evident in her beautiful smile.
May her memory be a blessing to all who knew her.
Dear Steve & Gail-I was so sorry to read about your Mother’s passing. I remember meeting her several times when she was visiting you.
John & I extend our sincere condolences on your loss.
Dear Family:
My heart-felt condolences to you all.
Esther always made me feel so welcome and friendly in her presence. I enjoyed playing songs she liked at Tamarisk.
She leaves a wonderful, loving family who inherited her warm demeanor. SHalom to all of you.
Dear Lisa:
I am so sorry to about your Mom. I really enjoyed the times we gabbed outside your house. She was so pleasant. Please accept my sincere sympathy.
So very sorry to see that you lost your beloved Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother Esther!
She raised a wonderful family and I have been blessed to know a few of them through my love of the great sport of wrestling!
God Bless!
Love and Hugs from the Murphy family
Our deepest sympathy for your loss.
Dear Bob, Alan, Steve, Lisa
and family,
I am so sorry to hear that Esther passed.
I always enjoyed our chats whenever there was a family gathering. She had the best smile.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Sincerely.
Valerie
To the Yanku family,
You all will be in my prayers. If you want or need anything please ask. Love you all
My deepest sympathy from my family to yours. She was the last of my cousins on my mothers side.
We so enjoyed her smile and warmth. She will be missed.
Your mother was a pleasure to know and to talk to. She was always friendly and positive thinking, and was someone we admired.
Ann and Carol Berman
Condolences to the family. Esther so reminds me of Sharon.
I am so sorry to see this. Esther was one of a kind and one of the most caring women i’ve known. Sending my condolescences and prayers to you all.
To the Yanku family. We are so sad to hear of Esther’s passing. She was an incredible Woman who never let anything stop her. Always positive and driven to live life to the fullest. She was a best friend to my parents and always supportive. We Rudnick girls grew up with her around my family our whole lives and we cherrished her. We hope you find strength in your memories.
My condolences to the family on Esther’s passing. I remember chatting with her as a child whenever I went to Citizen’s bank on Rolf Street. I was glad I had the opportunity to visit with her in more recent years at several family events. She was such an upbeat person.
Gail Chorney
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Esther and I were first cousins and I have fond memories of us growing up together
Dear Alan and family,
I am very sorry for your loss. I hope the fond memories
and close family ties support you through this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Denise
Years have passed but memories never fade. My husband Haig and Esther’s husband Lenny were instrumental in furthering the interscholastic sport of wrestling. Her pride and joy was obvious watching her sons compete. She was blessed to be a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. My condolence to the Yanku family. You have many happy memories that will sustain you during this time of sorrow. Anahid Varadian
My condolences to your family for our loss. I will always remember all of my wonderful conversations with Esther. Her smile and the smile she brought to me during those times will always be remembered.
Sincerely,
Deborah Coutu-Cham, RN
Bobby, Alan, and Steven, my condolences. Our parents were close as were we. We will carry their legacies forward. Paul Varadian