By Daily Press staff
Anita Bernstein Phillips passed on April 15 of natural causes. She was 75.
Born and raised in New York, she migrated to the west coast about 1975 and formed a close attachment to her cousin, the late Jeanette Bernstein Partnow; her husband, the late Al Partnow; their daughters, Dr. Judith Hyman, Elaine Bernstein Partnow, and Susan Partnow, and their grandchildren, David Hyatt, Lesley Ann Hyatt-Friedman, and Michael Hyman.
Phillips is described as having an amazing spirit. Despite struggling with bipolar disease throughout her adult life, she never allowed it to keep her from living fully and passionately. Santa Monica became her adopted home in February, 1998. A constant a seeker of truth and justice, she worked served as chair of the Elder Abuse Committee for the Santa Monica Commission on Older Americans. After law school, she volunteered her services at the local Legal Aid Society, and, working as a paralegal, was an advocate for the homeless. Phillips helped many of her contemporaries with their legal problems.
She will be buried at the Bernstein Family Plot in Beth Moses Cemetery in Pinelawn, NY. She is survived by her cousins, her sister and brother-in-law, Rosalind and David Spielsinger, several nieces and nephews, and her lifelong friend Naomi Mark, who was like family.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 21, 2006. Read the original PDF.