Ida Kalenberg was born a twin on 27th Oct. 1876 in New York, NY. Her twin sister was named Emma. Ida & Emma’s father & mother shared Germany as their place of birth and German as their mother tongue (1920 Census). Ida came from a Lutheran background!

According to Jean, Grandmother Ida was for her time a “thoroughly modern woman”.
She smoked and rather than swimming in an acceptable bathing costume for her time, she chose to swim in a swimming suit that she put together. Grandmother Ida was a businesswoman who raised dogs (prize chows).

In 1946, funds from her business contributed to the seed money which purchased the City Island property. Ida died 15th Apr. 1952 in New Rochelle of a coronary occlusion due to arteriosclerosis heart disease. The interval listed between the onset of this and her death was 10 years.