Esther Marie (Pietrobon) Karban, 98, of Bethlehem, PA passed away on October 25th 2020 at Cedarbrook Nursing Home in Allentown, PA. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years John K Karban and a grandson Gregory R Wilson. A resident of Eastern Salisbury township (the mountain) for 60+ years, they later retired to North Port, Florida for 18 years until John's passing in 2002. At that point she exclaimed she wanted to move home; Florida was filled with too many old people! She was 79.

Born in Bethlehem, May 13, 1922 she was the youngest of eight children (Robert, Attil, Alfred, Peter, Madeline (Elsie), Erminio Gabriel, Vincent) born to Gabriel and Erminia Pietrobon who had emigrated from Treviso, Italy in 1909. A lifelong Catholic she worshiped at Assumption B.V.M. Church in Colesville, PA, when living in PA.

She was a 1940 graduate of Allentown High School, and by the time she graduated she had already started her work with her brothers acting as a human computer at the Union Garage, Inc @ both 150 Hamilton St, Allentown & then later at 1130 W Broad St, Bethlehem. Her tireless work there lasting from the 30's until the repair facility turned into an automobile dealership. Kaiser-Frazer first, then a Packard & Studebaker dealer until 1957, and then the Chrysler Plymouth Imperial dealership until it was eventually sold in 1985 to Dick Milham. Many bags of that work made its way home to the dining room table where trash bags of repair order carbon paper could be found as she costed out RO's into the late-night hours. She was a working wife and mother long before that was the SOP in this country. The Saturday 7am Bob Ford Beauty Salon appointments with her sister meant her hair was properly coiffed and the fingernails painted every week in those days. An active member of the Bethlehem BPW (business and professional women's club) and the Allentown Women's club for many years. She was usually the Treasurer and could be found mimeographing the newsletters often. Life before copiers. Then again, she was an active member of the Computer club @ LaCasa in North Port, FL while living there.

Her stubborn Taurus persona was highlighted when she refused to be hospitalized for a stomach ulcer in the '70's, quit smoking cold turkey at the 1st National smoke out day and kept going strong after nearly 50 years of having RA in her hands, knees and feet. But none of that compares with her complete determination to get her suddenly ill and non-mobile husband to PA while driving home thru north Florida for Christmas in 2001. She enlisted help as needed along the way and got him home in two days. He was a tall big man and she was a tiny woman. She drove her friends around until she was 95. Did heavy yard work for her sister in law well into her late 80's. It's no wonder when you consider some of her favorite sayings were 'show them what you're made of' and 'have broad shoulders'. The favorite though that is quite timely now is 'it's an election year'. Yes, boy is it ever.

She was a south paw with a green thumb and had a beautiful flower garden in her widowed years that she spent hours in as well as working part time for Knopf Automotive until she was 91. She even unwittingly contributed to a person being fired as she cleaned the snow off her car and came to work after a snow storm. A much younger woman did not! She was great with a sewing machine and loved playing card games too. But her favorite thing was getting together with family, and because of this she knew every highway exit in order from here to North Port Florida.

Esther is survived by her three daughters; Karen Karban of Maricopa, AZ, Anne Hedrick of Bethlehem, PA and Fran Diehl wife of Jeff Diehl of Allentown, PA, two grandchildren AJ Siegfried and his wife, Alli, of Coopersburg and Katie Siegfried of Bethlehem, a great granddaughter Anastasia Wilson of Idaho Springs, CO, a sister in law Carmen Yurick of Duluth, MN, and many nieces and nephews.

Private burial services to be held in the future at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in her memory to either Cedarbrook Nursing Home or her church Assumption BVM, Colesville.