Milwaukee native Harriet Rich (nee Lasnover) died in Glenview, Ill., after a two-year battle with lung cancer. She was 81.
A 1944 graduate of North Division High School, Rich attended a nursing school in Corpus Christi, Texas, but did not finish due to an illness. She married Bernard Rich in 1950 and the couple moved to Chicago. Bernard Rich died in 2001.
In 1968, Rich turned her hobby of knitting into a business, opening a small store called Knitting Unlimited in Winnetka, Ill. The store developed a loyal clientele that became a popular hangout for knitters, needle pointers and their families.
“She was very outgoing and fun,” her daughter, Lynn (Edward) Cohen of Glencoe, Ill., said. “She built the store solely on her personality and her good judgment.”
Cohen described the scene at the store as similar to that of the TV show “Cheers,” where women sat around a large, round table, knitting and discussing their stories and lives for hours. When children were around the store, Rich would often give them needles and balls of yarn so they could start knitting.
In 1978, Rich moved the business to Glenview, Ill., where it became Magic Needle, Inc. Rich changed the store’s name because she added hand-painted needlepoint canvasses to her large inventory of knitting yarns. The store moved in 1992 to Highland Park, where it remains today.
In 1998, Rich created www.magneedle.com, where customers can find categories of themed needlepoint, including Judaica-themed designs that can be applied to kippot, matzah or challah covers, tallit or tefillin holders, or can be framed as pictures.
Rich’s customers followed her as the store moved, and children and grandchildren of customers often stop by to reminisce, said Cohen.
Rich used to offer knitting lessons years ago, but more often would offer one-on-one instruction for free, Cohen said, noting that her mother ran the business until the very end.
“It was so much a part of her life,” said Cohen, who is taking over the business.
Besides knitting, Rich was an avid card player. She and her husband often traveled to Las Vegas, where they kept a residence for more than 20 years.
“She loved playing cards, and she was lucky and good at it,” Cohen said.
Rich adored her family and loved spending time with her grandchildren, said Cohen.
Rich was preceded in death by sister Miriam Krasno. She is further survived by son David (Susan) Rich of Ridgefield, Conn., and five grandchildren.
Funeral services and burial took place in Chicago. The family appreciates memorial contributions to the Cancer Wellness Center, 215 Revere Dr., Northbrook, Ill., 60062.
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