SONJA ALAIMO

6/16/1927 - 1/09/2023

Born in 1927 to Jakob and Maria Backman in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia Sonia and her mother fled to Korcula in 1941. Her father, Jakob, was interned until late 1941 and then also came to Korcula. In 1943, they were then sent to Italy where the family remained until they came to New York in 1947.

Sonja led an interesting and active life in this country and loved NYC especially where she lived in Greenwich Village

She worked as a secretary and an assistant to her future husband, Gino Alaimo, at Excel Shipping, headquartered in the World Trade Center. Sonja also had her own clothing design company and storefront in Manhattan

Sonja's favorite passions and hobbies would include:

* Art: she was an extremely talented artist and served a term as president of the New York Art club. Her art work was mostly   derived from her experiences and difficulties surviving WW 2 as a young woman living in Europe.

* Ballet: She loved ballet dancing and practiced diligently

* Figure skating: As with ballet, she loved skating and skated religiously at the Wollman ice rink in Manhattan

* Yoga: She practiced every day and could bend her body like no other

* Language: Sonja spoke 6 different languages fluently

To conclude, Sonja was a smart, energetic, opinionated, optimistic whirlwind of a person that will be sorely missed and remembered as an inspiration to all she touched.