Obituaries

Liese Greenhut Sturtz age 85, passed away January 12, 2021 after a long illness. Born in Munich, Germany she emigrated with her parents in 1938 to New York city where she grew up.

She was pre-deceased by her husband of 50 years Donald A. Sturtz, Son Kenneth and daughter Nancy. She leaves her sons Andrew and wife Denise, Peter, Daniel and wife Lee-Ellen, and William and wife Raina, and grandchildren Shannon, Jacob, Evan, Jesse, James, Melissa, Chloe and Timothy, and brother Tom Greenhut and wife Karen Rodberg, sister in law Elizabeth Stern and husband Murray.

Liese was an accomplished interior designer and loved teaching her craft, and earned her Master’s in Training and Development after she was 60 from Lesley University. She had graduated from Skidmore and was a physical education teacher prior to her marriage to Don. Liese was one of the first Special Education teachers in Westchester County, a job she found very rewarding.

After moving from New York to the Boston area with her young family she and Don opened an Ethan Allen gallery and soon had partnerships in 5 stores. After selling the stores she put out her shingle, Apropos Design in Littleton where she resided surrounded by her sons and their families with Don and various pets. She loved gardening and being by the water, was a member of the Littleton Garden Club, and she and Don travelled extensively before his passing. She had a good sense of humor and was known for her kindness and her ability to listen with empathy. Don and Liese were part of the founding group of Temple Kerem Shalom in Concord, Ma.

Service will be private at a later date in Green cemetery in Carlisle, Ma, and contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s association at alz.com.

Holzwasser, Helen (Abrams), of Waban, MA passed away January 11, 2021 at the age of 97. Dear daughter of the late Quincy and Rosamond Abrams. Devoted mother of Robert Holzwasser and his wife Adrienne, and Joel Holzwasser and his wife Barbara. Proud grandmother of Ashley, Laura, Tori, Julia, and Scott Holzwasser. Loving sister of Stefan Abrams, the late Richard Abrams, and Barbara Feldman. Due to current restrictions, services will be private. In lieu of flowers donations in Helen’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice.

Gabriel Bitran-Of Newton, January 10, 2021.Graveside services are private.

Patty (Grollman) Goldman was born in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1939 to Herman and Elaine (Knobel) Grollman.  After growing up in Easton she attended Wellesley College.  She met her husband, Dick, on a blind date in her sophomore year.  That summer she went to Bordeaux, France on the Experiment for International Living and she and Dick spent time together in Europe.

They were engaged on Thanksgiving Weekend in 1958 and married in June of 1959.  Patty attended Barnard College for her senior year but graduated with a degree from Wellesley College.

After Dick’s graduation from law school, they moved to Boston.  It was an exciting time for Patty with new friends and new opportunities for activities and community involvement.

Patty lived a full life, notwithstanding two bouts with breast cancer and a long siege with Parkinson’s. She was a reporter for the Newton Times where she covered City Hall and won the respect and admiration of many city officials.  She also served as Vice President of the Newton chapter of the League of Women Voters.

After her first bout with cancer she wanted to make a contribution to the Beth Israel Hospital where she had surgery.  She was instrumental in the formation of the Friends of Beth Israel Hospital, a combination of the Women’s Auxiliary and Men’s Associates.

She served as Executive Director of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of New England where she was involved in starting an annual golf tournament for fundraising.  Her lifelong interest in learning led her to the Lifelong Learning Program at Brandeis University and worked on its summer program on current events.  She also participated in the English as a Second Language program at Newton City Hall.

She and her husband Dick received the Community Service Award from the American Jewish Community in 2003.

She loved traveling, golf, book groups, and in later years, winters with Dick in Key Biscayne, Florida.

She touched the lives of so many people.  Her sister-in-law defined her as “having a heart of gold and a strong moral compass.”

We, her family, will miss her terribly but are proud of the life that she lived and how she touched the lives of so many people.

She is survived by her husband, Dick; her children, Elaine and Stephen; her daughter-in-law, Heidi Klein; her grandsons, Henry and Nathaniel; her brother-in-law, John Goldman; her sisters-in-law, Joan Spivak and Gail Grollman; and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives. She is predeceased by her brother, Bill Grollman.

We want to express our appreciation to the Beth Israel Hospital, in particular Drs. Lowell Schnipper and David Simon for their outstanding care to and for Patty.  We also appreciate the care of Mature Caregivers and Care Dimensions.

There will be a virtual memorial service on Tuesday , January 12 at 7pm, the link for which can be obtained from the family.  Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Patty’s memory may be made to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

May she rest in peace!

Gershon Goldberg-Died Jan. 2, 2021, at age 96. A resident of Arlington since 1957, he was born in Paterson, NJ; grew up in Forty Fort, Pa.; and attended Penn State, receiving his Ph.D. in 1949. A post-graduate fellowship brought him to Northeastern University, where he met Marilyn (Kossoi). Their marriage lasted 64 years, until her death in 2015.
He was a noted photographic chemist, with 13 patents and numerous publications to his name. He was a member of the American Chemical Society for 75 years, a former president of Boston chapter of the Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers, and a longtime member of the Knights of Pythias, Ivanhoe Lodge.
He loved puns and wordplay and never lost his talent for doing any sort of word puzzle. He was a great fan of the Celtics, the St. Louis Cardinals, Penn State sports and Dixieland jazz. He was a founding member of Temple Emunah in Lexington and a longtime member of Temple Shalom in Medford.
He was a great dad to Jay Goldberg of Bethesda, Md.; Richard Goldberg and his wife, Sally, of Arlington; and Elise Goldberg of Arlington; and the favorite grandfather of Michael and Andrew Goldberg. He was predeceased by his wife and two brothers, Charles and Leonard.
Burial was held at Beit Olam East Cemetery, Wayland. Donations in his memory may be made to Temple Emunah, 9 Piper Rd., Lexington, MA 02421; Temple Shalom, 475 Winthrop St., Medford, MA 02155; or the food pantry of your choice.

Dr. David Buchsbaum, 91, died of heart failure at his home on January 8, 2021. Born November 6, 1929 in New York City, he graduated from Bronx Science high school earning his B.A. and PhD from Columbia University. A renowned mathematician, Buchsbaum was a pioneer in applying homological techniques to the mathematical fields of commutative algebra and representation theory.   After sojourns at Princeton, Chicago and Brown Universities, he chose to bring his intellect and deeply Jewish identification to the nascent Brandeis University. Arriving there in 1961, David remained passionately committed to building a first-rate Mathematics Department. Three times chair of that Department and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, David retired from Brandeis as the Berenson Professor of Mathematics in the spring of 1999.  A worldwide mentor to students and postdocs, David loved travel, especially to Italy. By the late 1970’s at least 75% of the algebraic geometors chairing Italian university math departments had been through David’s Brandeis/Italy exchange program. His career and contribution to Italian mathematics were celebrated throughout Italy in 1998. David’s love affair with Italy’s expressive culture mirrored his capacity for relishing all aspects of living. So vast and deep was his appreciation for language, music, art, literature, athletics, food, wine, nature, Judaism, politics, he was the Google- before -Google (complete with editorial comments!) in the lives of so many. Classmates in first grade, David and his wife Betty met again in college where the kindness emanating from David’s dimpled smile instantly won her heart. Betty graduated from Barnard, earning a PhD in English/ American Literature from Brandeis. Following a long career as poet, professor and college administrator, she retired from serving as Vice President of Mass. College of Art and Design in 2000. Married at 19, their union allowed for both independent pursuits and rich intimacy.  David played an active role raising their daughters in Newton, MA, facilitated by his capacity to “just think” while sitting with his ubiquitous yellow pad and fountain pen  during the intervals waiting to “chauffeur” daughters to and from activities. David’s unfailing capacity to listen and accept (or not!) was rivaled only by an irrepressible playfulness and unbounded love of family. In addition to many nieces and nephews, David is survived by his wife Betty, his daughters Helen (David), Susan (Karl) and Marion (Jeff), grandchildren Jessica (Kennedy), Max (Sarah), Raphaela, Gabriel (Leigh), Eva, Kyla, Katie, Sophie, and four great- grandchildren. Donations may be made to:  Brandeis.edu or nationalmssociety.org.

Arthur Levovsky-of  Brookline, formerly of New Bedford, on January 6,2021.Beloved brother of  Louis Levovsky and Laura Wolfe. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. A private graveside service will be held at Congregation Tifereth Israel Cemetery, New Bedford.

5/27/1968 – 1/5/2021

It is with great sadness that the family of Kerri-Jae Sussman announces her passing on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at the age of 52.

Kerri grew up in Lincoln Massachusetts, later moving to Windham, Maine, and spent her whole career working in banking. As a child, she loved competitive swimming and ballet. But, her greatest passion was for Newfoundland dogs, owning many and serving on the board of directors of the Newfoundland Club of New England and as the co-chair of the NCNE Rescue & Referral Service over the years.

Kerri will be lovingly remembered by her partner of 35 years, Kimberly Coppenrath of Windham, Maine; her mother, Henri-Ann Sussman and predeceased by her father Joseph M. Sussman of Lincoln, Massachusetts; her brother Andrew Sussman and sister-in-law Kristina Sussman of Westford, Massachusetts; her brother Craig Sussman and sister-in-law Nadia Sussman of Lincoln, Massachusetts; her nieces and nephews Taylor, Leda, Ryan, Hailey and Owen; as well as numerous relatives and friends.

In addition to her father, she was predeceased by her grandparents Leonard and Lillian Sussman of Brooklyn, New York and Edward and Selma Bacon Simon of Marblehead, Massachusetts.

All funeral services will be private at the graveside. A celebration of Kerri’s life will be held in conjunction with the Unveiling of her headstone later in the year.

Memorial donations in Kerri’s name can be made to That Newfoundland Place, 554 Pucker Street, Coventry, CT 06238 or The Ellen Toll Katz Rescue Fund, c/o Cindi Goodwin, NCNE Charitable Trust, PO Box 659, Belmont, NH 03220.

The service may be viewed here: https://viewneral.zoom.us/rec/play/0_zYnH9dl4rURcqI_eRBCF0bpBipVSHxdWykDrvgURBmg7UD937BRkINCTU3ALjd4FOIhzzFhrP-TaSC.cW2R9xpPiFjZNwIs

George Shanahan-of  Ft. Lauderdale, formerly of Waltham, on January 5, 2021

Patricia Hollander Gross of Framingham, formerly of Cambridge and Arlington, died of heart and respiratory failure at MetroWest Medical Center on January 3, 2021, at age 79. She was the beloved wife of the late Louis N. Gross, daughter of the late Carl and Elizabeth (Lea) Hollander; sister of Charles Hollander and his wife Janet; sister-in-law of Gretchen Gross; and aunt of Amelia Hollander Ames, Deborah Gross, Megan Gross, Marcia Ratner, and Sanford Ratner.

Patricia was a photographer, poet, editor, and, as a maker of rosaries, owner of Arlington Beadworks. Patricia and Louis were active in movements for social justice as founding members of the Arlington Civil Rights Committee and many other affiliations.

Patricia graduated George School in Newtown PA, and from Harvard College, class of 1963, where she began her career in photography as staff photographer of the Harvard Crimson. Her photographs recorded a social history of greater Boston, and beyond, in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In 2000, she earned an MA in Theology at Boston College. Her research included compiling an annotated bibliography of books about the Holocaust which she donated to the Boston College Library. A devout Catholic, Patricia attended the Church of St. Ignatius in Chestnut Hill, and retreats at the Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester. Patricia also maintained a loving commitment to her husband Lou’s Jewish communities of Temple Emanuel in Lowell and Havurat Shalom in Somerville.

A private graveside service was held at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Arlington, MA. A memorial mass will be celebrated, and a commemoration of her life will be held via Zoom (dates to be scheduled). Donations in her memory may be made to Pine Street Inn, Boston, MA, Eastern Point Retreat House Gloucester, MA, Havurat Shalom Somerville, MA, and Blue Heron Music Ensemble.