By: Andrea Fine

It seems only fitting, as this is May, that our great neighbor article focuses on a mom. Not just any mom, but my wonderful mom. Esther Vida Cohn was born July 19, 1938, in North Hollywood. She was the youngest of two children born to Sarah and Morris Cohn. My mom grew up and attended elementary and high school in Los Angeles before attending UCLA in the fall of 1957. A year later, on April Fools Day, she met my dad, Stuart Warren Fine, on a blind date. He proposed on Mother’s Day, 1958 and they were married a few months later on August 30.

After a brief stay in Bishop, California, they moved to Newport Beach. My dad loved a small town (which, back then, Newport was) and fishing, but my mom didn't like the tiny town of Bishop. In 1960, after much back-and-forth and lots of research, they moved here to Newport Beach. To give you some perspective, my mom says that “in those days, the only thing on the west side of the bay was Newport Harbor High School, a few homes in Cliff Haven, Westcliff, East side, Costa Mesa, and the five and dime store on 17th Street where Ulta is currently. We did not have Fashion Island or South Coast Plaza yet. I’d drive to Santa Ana, and all I’d see was orange groves." After renting an apartment on Westcliff Drive, they purchased their first home in Mesa Verde for $9,000. They wanted to buy a home n Westcliff but new homes at that time were selling for $23,000, which they couldn’t afford.

I was born in September 1964. Following my arrival, they decided they wanted to be closer to the water. They purchased a vacant lot at 3010 Oceanfront and built a duplex. We lived upstairs, and my parents rented the first-floor unit for additional income. My dad sold real estate, and my mom was home with me. In 1966, after receiving a great offer for the oceanfront duplex, my dad sold the duplex and used the profit to build a second duplex at 4710 Seashore. He bought that lot for $40,000. We lived at The Carribe Apartments at 310 Fernando on the Balboa Peninsula while it was under construction. In March 1967, my sister, Kim, was born. Shortly after her arrival, we moved to the finished duplex on Seashore. As I was due to start kindergarten, my parents soon realized our family of four needed more space. My mom wanted to be in a family neighborhood, so in the spring of 1969, they purchased our family home in Dover Shores for $89,000. In 1972 my brother Ben completed our family.

Growing up, I remember my mom volunteering in our classrooms, helping with school plays, fundraising and attending PTA meetings. In 1989, the Newport Harbor PTA recognized my mom with an Honorary Service Award. In the mid-1970s, my mom volunteered and became a community advocate. She began attending the Airport variance hearings. She, like many other residents, was concerned about the number of flights in and out of Orange County. In 1982, Tom Edwards and Clarence (Bus) Turner, two former Newport Beach mayors, along with Newport Beach resident and aviation attorney Barbara Lichman, founded the volunteer organization Airport Working Group (AWG). Its focus, since its inception, is to protect our city from noise and pollution generated by aircraft flying in and out of Orange County Airport (known now as John Wayne Airport). My mom served as their secretary for six years. She is still an active member of the Board of Directors. AWG has grown to a countywide organization and is now the Airport Working Group of Orange County. They successfully fought to set curfews for planes, taking off and landing at John Wayne. The current settlement agreement restricts flights from taking off prior to 7am and 8am on Sundays, as well as landing landing after 11pm.

My mom has also served on the Board of Directors of the Dover Shores Homeowners Association for 26 years and on the Orange Coast Association of Realtors Political Affairs Committee for several years. In 1988, when my dad died very unexpectedly at the age of 50, she followed in his footsteps and started selling real estate, something she still loves. She says, “I needed to find a way to get you girls through college and Ben (my brother was just 15 at the time) through high school . . . selling real estate was the best way I knew to make a living.“

There are a few residents here in Newport with such longstanding ties to the community. Esther loves the picturesque coastline and beautiful environment here in Newport Beach. When not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She says, “I feel so fortunate and blessed to call Newport my home.”

If you’d like to learn more about the Airport Working Group of Orange County, become a member or make a donation, please visit, AWGOC.org

To all of the wonderful moms, and especially mine, Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for all you do to make our city a better place.

Local Love

"Esther Fine is one of Newport’s treasures. I got to know Esther when my clients purchased one her listings and we closed escrow while I was literally at Hoag delivering our fourth child! I’ve always admired Esther’s work ethic. She entered the business as a widow with children to support and never looked back. She’s a true pro, so kind and loved by all! - Katie Machoskie

"Esther is a remarkable mom, friend, and career leader. I was fortunate to work with her and was always impressed by her energy and knowledge. She works hard and always finds time for kids and grandchildren." - Brenda Rowe