Jeanette Augusta Rashti's Obituary
Jeanette Augusta Rashti, (Hebrew name Esther), 9-23-1938 -12-17-2025
Jeanetta Augusta Rashti (Hebrew name Esther) was a secondary school teacher and the author of " The Autobiography of Midnight". She owned and managed a nine- store shopping center in Fort Worth, Texas. She volunteered in her Dallas Community at the Jewish Family Services, and at Congregation Shearith Israel, the synagogue she, The Dallas Museum of Art, and volunteer at the Dallas School District as an English tutor. She was very active in the civil rights movement and later in the animal rights movement, later she worked for the preservation of Earth's ecosystem. She had a strong sense of right and wrong and always kept her word.
She loved to travel as was a world traveler. Her other loves were horseback riding, bridge, swimming, old movies, and reading.
Other accomplishments were a Bachelor of Arts, major in Sociology, minors in Psychology, Secondary Education from the University of Miami, Florida and a Master equivalent in English and Social Studies from SMU. She taught for 8.5 years until she was stricken with bleeding ulcerated colitis and went into a coma for 11 days. Jeanetta had to relearn how to walk, talk, read, and write all over again. It took her 3 years to accomplish that feat from the age 31 to 34. After which, she wrote her book, " The Autobiography of Midnight", a once completely stray dog.
The Ner Tamid which is affixed to the ceiling of our sanctuary had been a fixture in the synagogue of Loerrach, Germany. It was vandalized on Kristallnacht, November 10,1938. Ms. Rashti discovered it in a Germany home in Florida. After eight decades in a state of ruin and disrepair, and thanks to efforts and the generosity of Jeanette Augusta Rashti this historical religious icon has been restored to its original condition and now adorns our synagogue, bringing light to all. Dedicated at Congregation Nishmat Am, Plano, Texas, November 5,2017. Seventy-nine years the light has been hidden, but now it glows once more.
Jeanette bought an American Saddlebred horse at the age of 35 years old and learned to ride English. At 45 years old, she learned jumping and competed in horse shows until she was 68 years old. At 71 years old, she learned Dressage, a difficult riding discipline. At 35 years of age until 81, she had four horses (one at a time).
She had dogs and cats throughout her life, all rescued animals. she fed the wild birds, pigeons, squirrels, stray dogs, cats, wild animals such as raccoons and possums daily.
Jeanette was a loyal friend with a great sense of humor. A lover of kind souls, children, animals, nature and preservation if Earth's ecosystem. She performed random acts of kindness with the hope the world is a little better because she lived.
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