Obituaries

Lucille B. “Peachy” Marsh, of Needham, MA, passed away on May 11, 2021.  Beloved wife of the late Phillip G. “Pinky” Marsh.  Devoted mother of Mitchell Marsh and his wife Esther, Elissa Grunes and her husband Kenneth, Paul Marsh and his wife Nancy.  Dear grandmother of Elana Snyder and her husband Stephen, David Marsh, Adam Grunes and his wife Danielle, Jason Grunes, Brandon Grunes and his wife Samantha, Jenna Goldstein and her husband Joshua, Suzannah Marsh, Leslie Marsh and Aaron Marsh.  Proud great-grandmother of Hannah, Abigail, Audriana, Samara, Cora, Owen, Quinn, Jaylin, Kaia and Noah. Loving sister to Norman Neiterman and his wife Louise and Joel Neiterman and his wife Debbie.   Interment will be private.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington St., Newton, MA 02466.

To view Lucille’s service on Sunday, May 16th at 10 am please click here.

Charlotte was born in 1929 to Pauline and Marcel Brucar, grew up in New York City and received both her BA and MS at Hunter College.  She started her career teaching both gifted and then emotionally-challenged children in Spanish Harlem.  She became the guidance counselor at Hunter College High School for gifted girls and taught psychology at Hunter College.  Charlotte then moved to Harvard to get a doctorate in psychology.  She married her husband, Peter, an economist at MIT in 1966, and settled down in Cambridge.  During this time, she was a psychologist at the Cambridge Guidance Center, a psychiatric clinic for children and families.  She started a program at the Guidance Center in 1972 called the Companion Tutoring Program, which paired local college students and young adults with the children in treatment as companion therapists.  She was very proud that this program is still continuing.

Moving from the clinic to private practice as a family psychologist, she also taught family therapy and supervised in the Couples and Family Center of Cambridge Hospital.  Her community activities and interests brought her back to the clinic as board member and then president of the board as it began its transition to the Guidance Center Inc.

Charlotte is survived by her husband, Peter, her two daughters, Elizabeth Temin and Melanie Mendez, and their three grandsons, Colin and Zachary Gibbons and Elijah Mendez. She was an avid reader and inveterate traveler. She and her husband were interested in archaeological ruins in both the old and new worlds; she had a passion for Mayan civilization and would go to Central America at the drop of a hat. Funeral services are private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Charlotte’s memory may be made to American Jewish World Service, 45 W. 36th St, New York, NY 10018.

Dr. Louis Benjamin Levovsky, of Framingham, formerly of New Bedford, Fall River, and North Dartmouth passed on May 10, 2021 at 86 years old. Beloved son of the late Max and Mildred Levovsky. Loving brother of the late Arthur Levovsky and sister Laura Kadish. Beloved former spouse to Deborah Levovsky and Claire Levovsky. Loving father to his four daughters, Susan Bley, Risa Levovsky, Lori Cohn and Caryn London and their respective spouses Lou Bley, Michael Cohn and Robert London. Stepfather to Sue Mancall, Louis Karten and Bruce Karten and their beloved spouses, Matt Mancall, Carolyn Karten and Laurie Karten. He leaves behind his cherished sixteen grandchildren, Sydney, Darien, Elliot, Julia, Jacob, Gabriel, Emily, Samantha, Lily, Ben, Allie, Jordan, Adam, Noah, Jared and Aaron. Survived by loving nieces, nephews, and friends, as well as the hundreds, if not thousands of patients, who he treated throughout this career in Allergy and Immunology at The Truesdale Clinic in Fall River and Aquidneck Medical Center in Newport, Rhode Island. He was a man, who wore many hats and was always surrounded by those who loved him.

He grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he was a wonderful son to his hardworking parents and truly the apple of their eyes as he became a successful Allergist after years of studying at Cornell and Boston University Medical School and suffering himself from severe childhood asthma.

Lou loved his whole family deeply and would do anything for them. From spending time at Bakers Beach, Cathy Temple, Davey’s Locker, family weddings and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, he was always happy to be surrounded by his family before he sacked out for a nap!!!!

He was so proud of all of his 16 grandchildren. Saying their names and talking with them about their career aspirations, love lives, and grades always brought him so much joy and made him smile.

His passions included his love for the Pats, the Red Sox, CNN, the stock market, and the goings on in Washington. He’d always say I am very happy and very comfortable as he was stretched out on his couch watching all of these things on TV.

He had special nicknames for his family and friends and that is something we will never lose. And he had so many sayings, better known as Lou-isms:

Sit at my feet and learn!

My grandmother got here from Odessa, you can find your way!

Little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems

You learn something new every day!

To know me is to love me!

Lou Levovsky was simply an incredible person and true inspiration to many. He was so loved and will forever remain in all of our hearts.

Donations in his memory may be made to The American Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Minette “Ruthie” (Jacobs) Sigel, of Framingham, formerly of Cambridge and Malden passed on May 10, 2021 at 86 years old.  Beloved wife of the late Martin Sigel. Loving sister of the late Ida Dorenfeld, Bertha Bletstein, Phil Jacobs and Charles Jacobs. She leaves her loving niece Arlene and her husband Larry DeHaan and nephew Jeffrey and his wife Cheryl Dorenfeld.  Also survived by several other loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.  She worked for many years at the Cambridge Jewish Community Center and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston.  Donations in her memory may be made to Temple Ner Tamid, 368 Lowell St., Peabody, MA 01960.

Florence Morton passed away on Friday, May 7, 2021, three weeks short of her 97th ­birthday.  She spent her last days surrounded by her family and left us peacefully.

With her sister Bea and her brother Irving, she grew up in the Bronx in NYC.  She graduated near the top of her class from Morris High School and then received a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College.  While working at the NYC Department of Welfare she met her future husband, Arthur.  After getting married and starting her family, she worked as an elementary school teacher for many years, surrounding her students with love and support.  Her passion for books lead her to work as a librarian, and she then received her Master’s in Library Science while working full time and raising her family.  She finished her career as librarian in a NYC high school.  She and her family split their time between Douglaston, NY during the school year and Smallwood, NY in the Catskills during the summer months.

In retirement she and Arthur relocated to Lauderhill, Florida and continued to spend their summers in Smallwood; they loved travelling and ultimately visited numerous Elder Hostels to continue their education and enjoyment of the outdoors.

After Arthur’s passing she relocated to Coconut Creek, FL.  Making many new friends, she continued her passion for teaching, books and libraries, running the North Regional Broward County Library Tutoring Program which matched senior citizens with inner city elementary school students to help with their reading.  She tutored Russian immigrants in English, and continued to be very active with the local B’nai Brith.  These activities led to many honors and awards, including an invitation to the White House to meet the president.  She discovered that she loved telling jokes, and many dinner parties would find her telling stories to surprised friends.  She loved watching the news and engaging in political discussions, and proudly voted right through the 2020 election.

Florence was passionate about her family and extremely proud of her children.    She instantly fell in love with her grandchildren, and was an incredible grandma.  She loved making Halloween costumes for them, and helped them develop a love of reading, sharing stories and books.  Holidays together were always special events.

She ultimately moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts to be closer to her family.  She is survived by her daughter, Susan Morton, along with her son Paul Morton, his wife, Jayne Dorfman, and her grandchildren, Melissa Morton and Matthew Morton.  Her warmth, kindness, humor, intelligence and good spirits are already missed.

The funeral will be private.  In lieu of flowers, she would have appreciated a contribution to any charity of your choice that focuses on enriching libraries or improving the lives of children.

Donald Irwin Orenbuch, 87, died Friday, May 7th at his home in Sandy Springs, GA. Don is survived by his beautiful wife of 55 years, Billie Lee, his son, Tim Orenbuch, and his daughter, Evelyn Orenbuch. Don will be laid to rest at the Baker Street cemetery in Boston, reunited with his sister, brothers, and parents.

Don grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, MA, graduating from Boston Latin High School in 1952. He graduated from Harvard in 1956, with a degree in Chemistry and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1960. For the majority of his life, Don lived in Gladwyne and later, Bala Cynwyd, both in suburban Philadelphia, PA.  Don and Billie moved to the Atlanta area in early October, 2020 to be near their daughter and son-in-law.

Don worked at ARCO Chemical Corporation for 15 years, finishing his career as Manager of Strategic Planning. After retiring from ARCO, he began his second career as a small business owner, running a Partyland Store in Wayne, PA for nearly 30 years.He helped many people create meaningful celebrations with just the right advice, from balloons to decorations.

This business fit his personality perfectly, as laughter was important to Don. He was quick with a joke and wasn’t shy to tell them to a customer, stranger, soon-to-be friend, or to his family – repeatedly.

The son of Polish immigrants, he started mapping his family tree well before there were internet resources, writing hand written letters to obtain birth certificates from small villages in Poland. This led him to become active in the Philadelphia Jewish Genealogical Society and enjoyed teaching about the Jewish American immigrant history.

A lifelong learner, Don took a variety of classes, most at the Main Line School Night, including one called “Great Discussions,” which turned into a weekly conversation with a special group of friends lasting nearly 15 years. In his 60s, he studied Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, and reached the level of Master. His creations were often presented at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

He learned to play the mandolin as a young man and loved to sing.  No family car ride was complete without lots of folk songs, which he knew by heart, such as a full throated rendition of “My father was the keeper of the Eddystone light.” He often attended the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and took great joy in participating in a monthly sing-along on Sunday afternoons with friends.

Don enjoyed travel, having the chance to see Korea, Japan, most of western Europe, Russia, China, Thailand, Bali, Tibet, Canada, Peru, and Israel.  He enjoyed exploring the culture and getting to know the people of that country.  A favorite activity on any trip was to walk into the heart of the city and central market to be a part of the throng.

Throughout his life, Don enjoyed close friends and long term relationships, playing in a standing poker game with the same group of guys, for 20 years.

Don played the game well and left the game smiling, having made some good bets and a few chips up.

Services are private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be can be made in Don’s name to the Dementia Society of America, P.O. Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901 or the Chron’s and Colitis Foundation National Headquarters, Attn: Financial Operations, 733 Third Ave., Suite 510, New York, NY 10017.

Robert Weller of Canton, MA, formerly of Newton, MA, entered into rest on May 6, 2021 at the age of 92.  Beloved husband of Gloria Crane Weller for 63 years.  Loving father of Daniel Weller and his wife Lisa of Westwood, MA and Linda Weller Gulman and her husband Max of Newton, MA.  Proud grandfather of Jessica and Paige Gulman, and Sophie Weller.  Dear son of the late Michael and late Pauline Weller, and brother of the late Herbert Weller and late Theodore Weller.

Bobby served in the U.S. military after being drafted during the Korean War.  He was quickly promoted to sergeant and ran a deployment section where he was stationed in Virginia.  Upon his return to Boston, he founded Robert Weller Corp. DBA Weller Carpets, where he continued to work until 2020.  He built the business, which is now over 60 years old and run by his son, Dan.

Bobby and Gloria shared a love of golf, skiing and bridge.  In the 60’s, he co-founded a family ski club in Franconia, NH from which he enjoyed lifelong friendships.  Bobby was known for his sense of humor, his loyalty and commitment to honesty in both his personal relationships and in business.  Both Bobby and Gloria enjoyed traveling in Europe and Israel, and for 19 years enjoyed a winter residence in West Palm Beach, FL.  Funeral arrangements will be private.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hebrew Senior Life (https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/giving) or the Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine (https://lunderdineen.org/support-us).

David T. Zussman passed away at his residence in Chestnut Hill surrounded by his loving family on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. He was 90 years old. Born in Boston to the late Irving and Jeannette (Rubin) Zussman. He was a leader and pioneer in residential and commercial real estate. He founded Creative Builders which became Boston Development Group (BDG) in 1956. He was the first to convert apartments into condominiums. He won ten national awards for excellence in design, construction and development. In 1975 Mr. Zussman created First General Realty Corp., a management and leasing company that manages Boston Development Group’s diverse portfolio of buildings. His firm has developed, constructed, marketed and managed apartments, condominiums, offices, hotels, senior communities and retail spaces along the East Coast of the United States from Buffalo, NY to Florida. Mr. Zussman graduated Lawrence Academy and he received his BA in economics from Tufts University. He attended graduate school at NYU School of Business and Harvard University School of Design.
Mr. Zussman served as President of The National Kidney Foundation and served on the Board of Overseers at Tufts University and The Presidents Circle at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He established The Social and Emotional Learning Alliance at the Tisch School at Tufts University. In addition to Dana Farber, his philanthropy included Mass General Hospital and Morse Geriatric in Palm Beach, FL.
He is survived by his beloved wife and best friend of 64 years, Randi (Kliger) Zussman,  his daughters Debbie Peck and her husband David, Jodie Zussman, and Amy Pates and her husband Chris. He is also survived by his grandchildren Alexis, Cole, Jake, Charlie, Lauren, Lindsey, Haley, and his great- grandchildren Skye and Zion. He was the brother of the late Arlene “Sis” Barrow.
Mr. Zussman was a mentor and a friend to many. His legacy will live on to those he touched.
Services will be private. Remembrances in his memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168 Boston, MA 02284.

Miriam London, age 90, of South Dartmouth, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Sunday, May 2.

Miriam was born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Jenny and Morris Handler. One of 11 children, she remained close to her siblings throughout her life. She was happily married twice. Her first husband was Stanley Gilbert, whose sudden death at 37 left her to raise their three sons alone. Her second husband was District Court Judge Jack London, who died in 1996 after 25 years with Miriam.

She lived a long and active life, and, as her friends and family knew so well, she was remarkably strong. She pushed through tragedies, including the deaths of both parents in the same weekend when she was 15, with courage and determination. She was also armed with a great sense of humor, as well as a solid golf swing. She loved her morning coffee crowd, and her regular dinners with dear friends.

Miriam is survived by three sons, James, David, and Matthew, son-in-law Thomas McNaught, and two step-daughters, Martha Nephew and Joan Orlofsky. She remained close to her devoted –brother-in-law Harvey Mickelson and sisters-in-law Lois Handler and Selma Handler, and many, many loving nieces and nephews.

A service will be held on Tuesday, May 4, at Tifereth Israel Synagogue at 11 a.m. Masks are required. Visiting hours are at Miriam’s home on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Miriam’s memory may be made to Tifereth Israel Synagogue, c/o the Handler Family Endowment Fund, 145 Brownell Ave., New Bedford, MA 02740.

Susan Frances Cole

Born August 4, 1948

Died May 1, 2021

Wife to David Eisen, principal at Abacus Architects & Planners in Boston. Mother to Ben Eisen, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal in New York. Mother-in-law to Emily Cohn, deputy editor in chief at Insider in New York. Sister to Stuart Cole, a retired ophthalmologist in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

She grew up mainly in Macon, Georgia, the daughter of a school-teacher mother and a bacteriologist father who later opened a local toy store. Her childhood in the Deep South when schools were still segregated sparked her passion for a more just education system.

She moved north to finish college, then became a special education teacher. After getting a law degree, she worked for a nonprofit now known as Massachusetts Advocates for Children, representing kids who had been expelled from the Boston Public Schools. A common theme emerged through her work in the ’90s: Many of the kids experienced trauma outside of school, such as homelessness or domestic abuse, and that impacted their ability to focus in school. Thus began her life’s work trying to make the public school system more attuned to these issues.

In 2004, she started the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative in partnership with Harvard Law School and Massachusetts Advocates for Children. She and her team trained students to handle legal casework related to school expulsions, worked with schools to adopt new practices, pushed for legislative change and published three books on trauma’s impact on education.

Her expertise took her all over the world, speaking to and working with educators about how to make schools sensitive to trauma. Her pioneering work in Massachusetts has gained more national attention recently as legislators and school administrators around the country focus on childhood trauma.

Donations in Susan’s memory may be made to Steven Oliveira, Dean for Development & Alumni Relations, Harvard Law School, 1563 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138. On the memo line please note, “Susan Cole/Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative.” Donations can also be made online at hls.harvard.edu/give Under “Select a Fund” choose “Other” and please type in, “In Memory of Susan Cole/Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative.”

Live stream link to view the graveside for Susan:

https://www.harborview.live