Eleonora (Nora) van Reekum Kobelt of Rye, formerly of Scarsdale, New York, died peacefully at her home on September 16, 2021.
“Nora was friend and family to many, known for her abundant native Dutch-inspired tulip beds, and a cornerstone of Westchester life,” said her family.
Born on April 29, 1929, in Bloemendaal, Holland, she was daughter of Aafke and Johannes van Reekum. She attended Bornwater School in Holland. During World War II, the family moved to California, and she graduated from Castilleja School in Palo Alto. She was also an alumna of the College of De Montreux, Switzerland, where she received a diploma in French, and attended Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, and Washington School for Secretaries, New York City, as well.
Her family later moved to Westchester County, where she lived for the rest of her life.
It was while working as a translator at the United Nations that she met her future husband, Werner Kobelt, who owned a textile company, at the party of a mutual friend. He won her heart in just a few hours. Theirs was a lasting and long union.
Mrs. Kobelt was a founding member of the Metropolitan Interclub Tennis League (MITL) governing body and was tennis champion at Westchester Country Club multiple times. In addition to tennis, she was an avid skier and golfer. She joined the Hole in One Club on the fourth hole of Westchester Country Club’s South course. She volunteered for the Scarsdale Historical Society and was a Cessation Coach for Smoke Enders.
She was predeceased by her husband, Werner Arnold Kobelt, in 2014. She is survived by her children, Arnold Kobelt, Brenda Rice, Sandra Hau, and Peter Kobelt, as well as 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Known to her family as “Mutti”, she was a true matriarch who created time-treasured memories.
A celebration of Nora Kobelt’s life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory may be made to Thirteen.org, the New York PBS television station.
