Mia Needle

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mia Needle, age 85, surrounded by her loving family on April 7, 2020. Our mother was truly a woman of valor. The experiences of her life were the stuff of legends. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1934, her parents fled with her to safety in Israel. There she grew up and became an athlete and went on to become a national champion in track, shotput and discus. She joined the Israeli army and made a name for herself for her courage, strength and tenacity. Our lives as children were filled with stories of that time in her life when she joined the paratroopers, became a lieutenant and taught self-defense to other soldiers. Alone, she emigrated to the United States in 1959 to study at Syracuse University and met her husband Stanley (of blessed memory) fighting over a parking spot in Queens (she won). They moved to Stamford, CT in 1967 with their four young daughters. She taught Hebrew at Bi-Cultural Day School and was also responsible for the translation of ‘Oklahoma’ into Hebrew, the script of which is now archived at The Smithsonian. In 1982 she gave up teaching and created A Step Ahead, a boutique which specialized in gowns for prom, Bat-Mitzvah, mother of the bride and groom, and graduation. For the next 38 years she ran A Step Ahead with her daughters and turned it into a successful community-based business. She valued honesty, independence and bravery. She set an example to us that it was just as important that a woman could fire a rifle and jump out of a plane as it was to be fashionable or bake cookies. Mia’s goal was that every woman who walked through our doors felt beautiful and through A Step Ahead, touched the lives of many girls and women. Mia was a woman that defied description and her greatest goal was to live life to the fullest. She was a refugee, a pioneer, a dedicated athlete, a gifted teacher, an entrepreneur years ahead of her time and most importantly, a much beloved mother and grand-mother.

Mia is predeceased by her husband Stanley Needle and leaves behind her four daughters, Corinne, Monica, Elona and Danna; her much beloved granddaughter Mimi; and her sister Judy Endlich. A memorial in tribute to her life will be held as soon as permitted.