In memory of Carl (1921 – 2019) and Judy (1925 – 2020) Herbet.
Carl and Judy Herbet both lived into their nineties. But they weren’t just blessed with long lives. They fell in love and married in 1943 — a marriage that lasted more than 75 years. Judy once said that she and Carl “grew up together.” They are survived by two daughters, five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
“A marriage is how much you care, and how much you are willing to work on it,” Judy said. “It’s a gut feeling,” Carl added. “You got to feel it here and here,” he said pointing to his heart and his stomach.
When they became Via riders, they had already lived a long life in New York before moving to Boulder.
Carl is remembered as street-wise and tough, but tender-hearted and caring. Judy was kind and adored by her family and friends. Both were born in New York City and came of age during the Great Depression. Carl’s parents Frederick and Dora Goldfish were immigrants. Carl had to be tough growing up in Harlem and the Bronx. He left school early to help support his mother and two younger brothers. He faced a lot of anti-Semitism so he learned to box and changed his name from Goldfish to Herbet.
Judy was one of four daughters born to Benjamin and Helen Cohen and living on the Lower East Side. In 1942, she was 17 when she met 21-year-old Carl at her sister’s wedding. He was smitten and later said he caught her eye with his spiffy white Coast Guard uniform. She said, “I thought he was a cute sailor.” Though she also described her first impression as, “What a drunken sailor!”
After his WWII stint in the Coast Guard, Carl managed a grocery store. Judy was a homemaker, caring for their daughters. Eventually, she also worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in NYC.
When Carl and Judy retired, they moved to Boulder for a life of volunteer activities and time with family. That’s when Via met them. Our drivers took them places and got to know them. Carl and Judy, who people said were joined at the hip, volunteered at Eisenhower School where the children called them Grandpa and Grandma. And they volunteered at Boulder Community Hospital and Golden West.
“We get on the bus to socialize,” Judy told us. That was certainly true. They loved each other and that love spilled over.
If someone you love uses Via’s services, please give a Valentine’s Day donation in their honor. We’ll let them know you care. And if you love your Via driver, tell us about it and we’ll pass it on. You can send your stories to Zoe DeVito at zdevito@viacolorado.org.
Share the LoveNo rider is ever required to donate, and no one is ever denied service for not donating.