Obituaries

Of Needham, formerly of Chelsea, USAF, Walpole, Hyde Park and Mashpee, passed on June 21, 2020, at the age of 96. Fourth son of Izadore and Sarah Weener. Loving husband of Florence (Gershman) for 71 years. Proud father of Harvey Weener, Arlene Levin, Beverly Fleischmann, and Julie Shaw. Oopah and pal of Matt and Scott. Adoring Grandpa to Katy, Becca, Rachael, Sarah, Alex, Tom, Dylan, and Leah. Brother of the late Bill, Sam, Milt, and Ubby. Dan was a combat veteran during World War II in the U.S. Air Force as an engineer-gunner on a B-24. A military funeral will be held. He was a 60-plus year mason and a 50-plus year Shriner. A private graveside service will be held.

Contributions in Dan’s memory may be made to:

The National WWII Museum (https://bit.ly/3hQAGcK) or by calling 504-528-1944 x 290

Rickel “Ricki” Shuster-Of Wellesley, MA and Palm Beach, FL, passed on June 16, 2020.  Dear daughter of the late Harry and Yetta Saks.  Beloved wife of Richard Shuster and the late Dr. Jay Shumaker.  Loving sister to the late David Saks.  Devoted mother of Dana Spencer and her husband Steven, Jon Shumaker and his wife Rebecca, Scott Shuster and his wife Shelley, and the late Adam Shumaker.  Proud grandmother of Alexandra Spencer, Darren Spencer, Naomi Spencer, Connor Spencer, Joanna Shumaker, Ryan Shumaker, Jack Shuster, Sam Shuster, and Ella Shuster.  Born in Detroit, Ricki was a graduate of the University of Michigan and Suffolk University Law School.  Ricki was an attorney in the Boston area specializing in real estate law and was active in many social and cultural organizations.  Private services were held graveside due to current restrictions.  In lieu of flowers, remembrances in Ricki’s memory may be made to Newton-Wellesley Hospital Development Fund, 2014 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02462 or The Jimmy Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 to support pediatric cancer research.

Arlynn Beverly Siegel passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Newton, MA at age 81 on Friday, June 19, 2020.  She was born in Lynn, MA on March 9, 1939.Above all, family was at the core of Arlynn’s life. She was the loving wife of Jack Siegel, sister of Muriel Bean and Sharon Burke, mother of Adam Gurwitz and Marc Siegel, beloved mother-in-law of Maria Elena Cruz Lopez and doting grandmother of Raquel and Daniela Siegel.Arlynn was an active member of Temple Reyim of Newton, serving in a variety of roles through the years. She spent many years managing a busy medical practice and loved volunteering with young children at the Horace Mann Elementary School.A private graveside service will be held at the New Tifereth Israel (Everett) Cemetery. Shiva will be observed outdoors, in a socially distanced environment, from Tuesday, June 23 through Monday, June 29, excluding Shabbat, between the hours of 930am to 1230pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02466.

Nelson H. Goldin of Framingham, MA passed away in Tamarac, FL on Monday, June 15, 2020 after a long battle with kidney disease.

Nelson was born on July 29, 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was pre-deceased by his parents, George and Ruth (Goldstein) Goldin.

Nelson was a veteran of the U.S Army, and served in Germany during the Vietnam War as a medic. After returning home to Massachusetts, he was a long-time business owner in Framingham where he owned Waverly Auto Parts. Nelson was always committed to serving his community and helping others. He served as a police officer in Hopkinton, a member of the Keefe Tech School Committee, and the Framingham Board of Health. He was on the Board of Directors for Cold Spring Resort in Ashland, NH for over thirty years, including serving as President. In later years, he found his true calling as a Constable and Justice of the Peace.  One of his greatest joys was performing weddings, baby namings, and other major life events for friends, family, and strangers who became his friends. He officiated the weddings for each of  his children. Family was the most important thing in Nelson’s life.

In recent years, Nelson and Margie spent winters in Florida where they were able to take cruises, relax, and continue to enjoy family both in Florida and Massachusetts.

Beloved husband to Marjorie (Shuster) Goldin of Framingham, MA. Loving father to Rachel (Goldin) Adams (husband Berry) and Naomi Goldin of Whitinsville, MA, Rebekah (Freeman) Schulze (husband Louis) of Weston, FL, and Seth Freeman (wife Stephanie) of Upton, MA. Proud Zaydie (grandfather) to Madison and Hannah Minutolo, Annie and Teddy Schulze, and Zoe and Zachary Freeman. He is also survived by his sister, Phyllis (Goldin) Swartz of Bellingham, MA and his nieces Elaine, Michelle, and Stephanie.

Nelson touched the lives of many people, and he will be very missed. A private graveside service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made in Nelson’s name to Buddy Dog Humane Society, 151 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776 or Temple Israel of Natick, 145 Hartford St., Natick, MA 01760.

Cemach, Henry of Natick, MA formerly of Jamaica Plain passed away on June 16, 2020. Beloved husband of Sylvia (Lippman) Cemach. Devoted father of Gary Cemach, Richard Cemach, Karen Ferraro and her husband Richard, and Janet Cemach. Proud grandfather of Michael Cemach, and Jamie, Nikki, and Jake Ferraro. Henry graduated from Mass College of Pharmacy. He was an avid sports fan, who especially loved the NY Giants and horse racing. He loved to travel, but most of all spending time with his family. Funeral services are private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Henry’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, MA Chapter, 309 Waverly Oaks Rd., Waltham, MA 02452.

David Apotheker-Of Mashpee,June 9, 2020.Graveside services were held privately on June 15th.

Julian Daly, of Weston, MA, passed away at age 90 on June 13, 2020 at his home with his wife by his side.

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Julian earned his college degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree from Harvard Law School. He worked for the SEC in Washington, D.C., before moving to the Boston area where he spent most of his career working as in-house counsel for a financial corporation. One of his proudest achievements in his professional career was overcoming a stutter he’d struggled with as a child and young adult to become a proficient and dynamic public speaker.

Julian enjoyed many hobbies throughout his life, including art, photography, tennis, cross-country skiing, and sailing. But he may be remembered most for his extraordinary culinary talents. Nothing made Julian happier than sitting with family and sharing one of his home-made meals accompanied with wine, classical music, and animated conversation.

Julian is survived by his loving wife, Elizabeth; daughter Victoria, and her husband, Alan Schneiderman; daughter Joanna, and her husband, Jay Fitzgerald; as well as three grandsons, Samuel, Benjamin, and Zeb Fitzgerald.

Julian was laid to rest at Linwood Cemetery in Weston. Funeral arrangements were private due to Covid-19.

October 21, 1927 – June 15, 2020

It was love at first sight.

From the moment her flight touched ground and taxied to the terminal zone at Israel’s Lod Airport on a January morning in 1962, Barbara Checkoway could see, feel and hear the Promised Land calling. And it would beckon her and her beloved husband Norman, of blessed memory, to return again and again over the next half-century.

Barbara, who was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on October 21, 1927, passed peacefully in the early morning of June 15, 2020. Reared by her parents, Harry and Rose (Shore) Snider in Haverhill, Massachusetts along with sisters Selma and Marcia, Barbara graduated Haverhill High School in 1945 and married her childhood sweetheart and budding artist and art teacher, Norman Checkoway, two years later.

In post-war fashion, Barbara and Norman soon settled into a newly built ranch home in Framingham, Massachusetts where they would spend the rest of their lives together. There they raised three boys, Nelson, Steven and Martin, who eventually married and brought seven grandchildren into their lives: Emily, Chloe, Laura, Michael, Eva, Spencer, and Daniel. But from the outset, Barbara knew she wasn’t cut from the cloth of a 1950s suburban homemaker, and Norman’s seven-month sabbatical leave from Brookline’s Driscoll School to study and paint in Israel would prove to be a pivotal turning point in her life.

The family joined Norman’s parents, Chava and Dov, on Kibbutz Einat, a community they had helped to found during the pioneering days of Israel’s statehood. Barbara worked with Chava in Einat’s gladiola nursery and immersed herself in Israeli life and culture. A second sabbatical stretching a full year between the summers of 1969 and 1970 cemented this love affair with the land. Afterward, Barbara kept the connection intact stateside, staying in touch with Israeli friends and family through letters and phone calls, and yielding to the pull of this vibrant young nation, time and again.

Meanwhile, she embarked on an administrative career in higher education, first at Wellesley College, then at Brandeis University and finally at Boston University, where she managed the office of the Creative Writing Program run by novelist Leslie Epstein. Always regretful that she did not go on to college herself after high school, Barbara was determined to earn her degree. After a decade of part-time evening study, she finally donned a mortarboard and gown in her late 60s, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Metropolitan College of Boston University.

Among Barbara’s return trips to Israel were volunteer stints at the famed Hebrew immersion school for new immigrants, Shulamit Katz-Nelson’s Ulpan Akiva. In Framingham, Barbara became the go-to Hebrew tutor for Bar and Bat Mitzvah students. And she continued to revel in Israeli culture, from music to folk dancing.

Always thirsty for knowledge and new experiences, she and Norman traveled extensively, frequently audited courses together at BU, and were avid museum visitors and theatergoers—continuing well into their 80s until a pair of bad knees and Norman’s declining health slowed them down. After Norman’s passing, she lived in the home they had built together for another year with the help of loving caregivers, before spending her final 18 months at the Daggett-Crandall-Newcomb home in Norton, Massachusetts.

Barbara was fierce, she was demanding, she loved her family, she loved life, and she will be missed. And on June 15^th, for one final time, she heard the Promised Land calling her home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Abraham Initiatives, a non-profit organization that promotes Jewish-Arab partnership across all facets of Israel’s society. To contribute, visit www.AbrahamInitiatives.org

Doris D. Zimmer died June 14 following a period of declining health.  She was 93.

She was born March 25, 1927 in NY, daughter of Eastern European immigrants Rose and Hyman DuKaten.  She grew up in the Bronx, graduated James Monroe High School and attended classes at City College of New York.

She married the love of her life, Alex Zimmer, and together raised four children, eventually making their home in Newton, Massachusetts.

She returned to college when her children were grown, earning a degree in social work which she used working as a caseworker at a Boston area agency until retirement.

For the past two years she made her home in an apartment she loved at Springhouse Assisted Living in Jamaica Plain where she enjoyed community activities and made new, dear friends.

She enjoyed travel, listening to music, her many friends and especially visits with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She was supported in the last months by Hebrew Senior Life Hospice Care and Peace of Mind Home Care.  While all of the staff were caring and supportive, she developed a very special and loving relationship with a senior worker from Peace of Mind, Donna Evans, who brought her comfort and nurturance during her last months, and particularly her last hours, when her family could not be by her side.  We are so grateful.

She is survived by her children William Zimmer and his wife Marsha, Michael Zimmer and his wife Wendy Gordon, Wendy Gignoux and her husband Henri, LisaAnn Martin and her husband Matthew, six grandchildren, Emily, Joanna, Jonathan,Hannah, Ethan and Jason as well as 3 great grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband of almost 50 years Cantor Alex Zimmer, her subsequent partner of 7 years, Arthur Marcus, her parents, sister Sylvia and brother William.

A private burial will take place with a memorial for family and friends next summer.  In lieu of flowers, you may make contributions to Hebrew Senior Life Hospice Care.

Rudavsky, Rabbi Benjamin Z., of Cambridge, MA, passed away on June 13, 2020. Benjamin is predeceased by his late wife Malka Rudavsky and survived by their children Dahlia, Elana, and Oren Rudavsky, the late Eda Appelbaum and survived by their son Jesse Rudavsky. Benjamin leaves his beloved wife Kathleen Townsend and her children Luke, Martin, Tracy, and Julie Townsend, and Laura Stackpole. Beloved grandfather of 7, and proud great grandfather of 1. Cherished step grandfather of 8 and proud step great grandfather of 1. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Benjamin’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice.