Obituaries

Robert L. Beal’s business accomplishments were there for all to see, such as the renovation of Boston’s iconic Custom House Tower undertaken by the Beal Cos., his family’s investment and real estate development firm.

And while generations of his family had a hand in shaping the look of Boston since the 1800s, Mr. Beal’s personal touch — often behind the scenes and unheralded — shaped the feel of Boston and the rest of the state, his friends said.
“He was just one damn good citizen,” said former governor Michael S. Dukakis, a friend since they were boys growing up across the street from one another in Brookline.

Mr. Beal, who had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, died while taking a nap Sunday afternoon at his home in NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham.
He was 78 and had moved to NewBridge after living for decades on Beacon Hill, where he opened his home to friends and anyone he thought could make his city a better place.

“He was a legend,” said Vivien Li, a longtime friend who formerly led the Boston Harbor Association for more than two decades and had been chief executive of Riverlife in Pittsburgh.

At his home, Mr. Beal brought “all sorts of people together — different political parties, different interests, different social backgrounds,” she added. “You don’t see that many civic leaders, business leaders, bringing people together in personal settings where you get a chance to know each other better.”

Few could match the breadth of Mr. Beal’s philanthropic activities, through his personal donations and participation on a lengthy list of boards.

Along with serving as a leader of his field’s national and state organizations, such as the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, he was an overseer, trustee, or board member for institutions such as Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.His love of animals was seen in his involvement with the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Boston Zoological Society, through which he helped support the Franklin Park Zoo.

“He was deeply committed to philanthropic endeavors,” said his brother, Bruce A. Beal, with whom Mr. Beal formerly ran the family firm.

“We were both raised to understand that if you took from a community, you had to give back,” said Bruce, now chairman of the firm Related Beal, formed in a merger several years ago.

Mr. Beal’s contributions to Combined Jewish Philanthropies went beyond fund-raising and working with the organization’s budget committee.

In 1991, he was part of a six-person Greater Boston group that visited Israel in a show of solidarity during the Gulf War. The delegation was among the first from the United States to travel there after Iraq bombed Israel.

“It was very traumatic seeing people everywhere carrying gas masks,” Mr. Beal told the Globe upon returning that January. “It was very wrenching to see babies in plastic cribs and mothers trying to get gas masks on their children.”

Friends weren’t surprised that he risked his life for such a trip. The group was handed gas masks upon landing in Israel.

“Robert insisted on coming along. He basically had no fear whatsoever, as far as I could tell,” said Barry Shrage, who was then president of CJP and part of the delegation. “He was the person to stay extremely calm, in good humor, positive all the time.”

That was the same Bob Beal who kept a careful calendar and called hundreds of friends each year to personally wish them a happy birthday, the same man who every Fourth of July grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for his famous annual picnic.
“His way of giving was giving and expecting nothing in return. He would just give,” said his nephew Bruce A. Beal Jr., president of the Related Cos., the New York-based parent company of Related Beal. “He would do anything for anybody. He wouldn’t even ask. He would figure out what someone needed, and he would do it. And he would never ask for anything for himself.”

“He was my Uncle Bobby,” he added, “but we used to talk about how he was everybody’s Uncle Bobby.”

Born in Boston in 1941, Robert Lawrence Beal was the younger of two brothers whose parents were Alexander S. Beal and Leona Rothstein.

Mr. Beal grew up in Brookline – “he would tell the story of how I taught him how to ride a bike,” Dukakis recalled – and attended Belmont Hill School.

He graduated from Harvard College in 1963 and from Harvard Business School two years later. Before joining his family’s firm, he worked for the Beacon Cos. under Norman B. Leventhal.

“He said, ‘I learned a lot from watching the master,’ ” Li recalled.

In 1988, Mr. Beal wrote in the 25th anniversary report of his Harvard class about the satisfaction he and his brother took “in having had the opportunity to reshape and to contribute to the revitalization and preservation of Boston’s historic landscape through our real estate investment activity.”

“He was deeply involved in the transformation of the city, a very sensitive developer,” Dukakis said.
Some of that meant working with, and sometimes helping guide, the city’s and state’s top politicians.

“When I wanted to talk about real estate issues and economic prospects generally, he was always just a phone call away, and his insights into what was actually going on — and would go on in the future — were sharp, understandable, and incredibly accurate,” Governor Charlie Baker said. “He supported a ton of good causes and was always on everyone’s short call list — because he almost always said ‘yes.’ And he loved Boston. All of it.”

Mr. Beal had his own short call list, too, and encouraged people such as Li to take on leadership roles – in her case chairing the Brownfields Advisory Group for MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency.

“In that way, he mentored a lot of people, particularly women,” she said. “He would push us to do things we didn’t think were possible. He empowered us.”

Mr. Beal, whose marriage to Rosalind E. Gorin ended in divorce, had no immediate survivors beyond his older brother, Bruce.

“I think his children were the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the different things he was interested in,” Bruce said. “My brother really was, in my book, Mr. Boston. He ate it, he drank it. It was very important to him. He gave his time and his money unselfishly.”

The Beal family held a private burial ceremony for Mr. Beal Tuesday and will announce a public memorial gathering in the spring.
“He was an incredibly kind person,” his brother said.

That compassion helped Mr. Beal bring together philanthropic leaders.

Long involved with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley Alexis de Tocqueville Society, Mr. Beal and the late Myra Kraft facilitated meetings that included officials from United Way, CJP, The Boston Foundation, and Catholic Charities, said Shrage, who now teaches at Brandeis University.

“Because of his personality and because of the people he knew, he was all about collaboration,” Shrage added. “He figured if we were talking to each other we could do greater things.”

Li said Mr. Beal’s legacy could be seen as “finding where there was a need that others hadn’t thought about,” which often meant meeting with people others hadn’t thought to seek out – from Beacon Hill to Boston’s immigrant communities.

“He was never afraid of going out and meeting people who had a different point of view – to understand, to learn, to appreciate,” she said.

This article was written by Brian Marquard of the Boston Globe

Robert C. Hermann (April 28, 1931 – February 10, 2020)

Surrounded by friends, family and his books, Bob died February 10th at age 88 from pneumonia.  Bob is a widely recognized mathematician and mathematical physicist.  He got his PhD from Princeton University, taught at Rutgers University, and then focused on his research. In the 1960s he worked on elementary particle physics and quantum field theory. His work revealed the interconnections between vector bundles on Riemannian manifolds and guage theory in physics, before these interconnections became ‘common knowledge’ among physicists. In the 1970s, Bob worked on the application of differential geometric methods in system theory, where he was one of the pioneers of the analysis of nonlinear system controllability in terms of Lie algebras.

Bob published numerous books on differential geometry and Lie group theories and their applications to differential equations, integrable systems, control theory and physics.

Bob will always be remembered as a gentle giant, a lover of nature, and an avid reader.  He is survived by his former wife, Lana Hermann, by their son Chris, and by their daughter Gabrielle, her husband Holger Reinhardt and their three children, Alex, Katya and Jonas.

Burial will be private.  A memorial service and celebration of Bob’s life will be held this Spring when the flowers bloom.

Marjorie R. Silver-Of Naples, FL, and Walpole, MA, formerly of Needham and Newton, on February 7, 2020. Beloved wife of James Silver. Devoted mother of Lauren Baum and her husband Jason and, Alison Daglow and her husband Christopher. Cherished grandmother of Zachary and Matthew Baum and Jackson and Ethan Daglow. Dear daughter of the late Ethel and Milton Rosenthal. Margie grew up in Newton and was a proud member of the Class of 1969 at Newton South High School, copy editor of the yearbook and standout on the girls tennis team. Her favorite summers were at Camp Rapputak in Fryeburg, Maine where she fostered many friendships and was either a number one or two Color War pick. Margie graduated cum laude from the University of Vermont where she majored in Physical Education. She and her childhood sweetheart, Jim married during their senior year in college and moved back to the Boston area, eventually settling in Needham and welcoming daughters Lauren and Alison to their family. At first, Margie began working part time in Jim’s financial services business. Part time soon became full time and Margie became a fixture at family owned Silver Investments in Framingham until her retirement in May of 2018. She was admired and respected by all clients for her demeanor, empathy and competence. She and Jim were true best friends and had an active life consisting of friends, family, athletics, and travel. She had a large group of friends going back to elementary school who were drawn to her smile and easy demeanor. She saw sunrise from the top of the Grand Canyon, smoked a cigar in Havana, floated in the Dead Sea, made par from the “valley of sin” at St. Andrews, and saw her beloved Red Sox and Patriots define excellence on more than one occasion. More important, she was the yin to Jim’s yang, a true matriarch to her daughters who looked up to her as their true role model, and adored “Grammy” to her four grandsons. “Grammy days” became a special tradition with all of her grandsons, they were usually on Wednesdays and the final one was just this past Wednesday when her entire family was present to sing her Happy Birthday for the final time. She was truly a very special lady. Services at Temple Beth Shalom, 670 Highland Ave, Needham, on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 10:00 am. Following interment at Or Emet Cemetery, Baker St., West Roxbury, memorial observance will be at her late residence in Walpole until 7:00 pm and Wednesday 2-4 and 6-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Dr. Bradley A. McGregor, GU5149 Research Fund,450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215.

Of Dedham, formerly of Randolph and Bronx, NY, passed away on February 6, 2020. Beloved husband of the late Lorraine (Kopman) Zimmerman. Devoted father of Sharon Salwen and her husband Jon, and Roger Zimmerman and his wife Susan. Proud grandfather of Amanda, Ben, Lila, Kira and Alli. Jerry attended the Bronx High School of Science, New York University, and the University of Bridgeport, where he received a Masters of Mechanical Engineering. His distinguished career in optical engineering included work on imaging systems for the Corona Satellite Program, the Keck Telescope, and providing night vision, FLIR technology for the Israeli Defense Forces and for firefighters. He was a Fellow of the SPIE and twice president of the New England Chapter of the Optical Society of America. His friends and family will always be grateful for his artful photographs.

Services at Wilson Chapel, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton Centre, MA, on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 11:00 am. Following interment at Temple Israel Cemetery, 492 North Ave., Wakefield, MA, a memorial reception will be held at 3:30 pm at NewBridge on the Charles, 5000 Great Meadow Rd., Dedham, MA. Shiva will take place Tuesday from  7–9 pm at the home of Sharon and Jon Salwen. Remembrances in memory of Jerry may be made to Temple Israel of Boston, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02215 or to the National Institute on Aging, Attn: Office of Financial Management, Building 31, Room 5C35, 31 Center Drive, MSC 2292, Bethesda, MD 20892. Late Korean War Veteran, Ist Lt., U.S. Army.

Stan Edelson-of Cambridge, on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. Graveside service at The Workmen’s Circle Cemetery,  776 Baker St.,West Roxbury, on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 1:00pm.

Barbara “Bubsy” Greene Goldman, age 81, of Framingham, passed away  peacefully in her sleep with her son by her side on February 4, 2020. She was born August 16, 1938 in Boston, MA, and was the daughter of the late Irving and Anna Greene.

Barbara leaves behind two sisters, three sons, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Barbara devoted her life to her family and through the years hosted family gatherings where she passed on the family traditions and spirit.

Barbara raised three boys which was no easy task and later in life began a career as a legal secretary.

At a relatively young age she was affected by a disease which she survived but was left with many challenges. There was not a day that went by that Barbara didn’t face those challenges with determination, dignity and class.

She was smart, sophisticated, and her sense of humor and smile were loved by those around her. Funeral service at the chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, MA, on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 2:00 pm. Following the service her life will be remembered at her son Edward’s home in Framingham, MA for family and close friends. In lieu of flowers or donations, it’s Barbara’s wish for you to reach out to someone you love.

Louise Anne Macy, 95, of Canton, passed away February 2, 2020. Devoted daughter of the late David Kniznik and Bella Shatkin Kniznik. Beloved wife of the late Edwin A. Macy. Devoted mother of Deborah Macy Sewall (Sydney) and Barbara Jane Macy and the late David James Macy. Dear grandmother of Bella Sewall Wolitz (David) and Sam Sewall (Wendy Evans). Proud great-grandmother of Michael Wolitz, Joshua Wolitz, Justin Sewall and Leo Sewall. Loving sister of the late Estelle Klayman and Sylvia Fain. She was a loving aunt, cousin, and friend to many. Louise’s smile warmed all who met her.

Louise was a member of Temple Beth El in Fall River, Nehar Shalom Community Synogogue in Jamaica Plain and Kennebec Land Trust and Hadassah.

Services at Wilson Chapel, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton Centre, MA on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 11 am, interment will follow at Temple Beth El Cemetery, Fall River. Shiva will be held at Orchard Cove, 1 Del Pond Dr., Canton, MA 02021 following interment until 6 pm, minyan at 5pm. Wednesday and Thursday shiva will be held at Nehar Shalom Community Synogogue, 6-8 pm, minyan at 7 pm.

Donations in her memory may be made to Temple Beth El, PO Box 871, Augusta, ME 04332, Nehar Shalom Community Synogogue, 43 Lochstead St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, Kennebec Land Trust, PO Box 261, Winthrop, ME 04364, or a charity of your choice.

H. Robert Nagel, DDS-of Newton, on February 1, 2020. Beloved husband of Carol (Shapiro) Nagel. Devoted father of Robbi Nagel, Dr. Gregg M. Nagel and his wife Dr. Brittany Braga, and Jodi Nagel Rodman and her husband Andrew. Loving grandfather of Alex and Reid Chilkowitz, Ryan and Sam Rodman and Lukas Nagel. Brother of Fran Stein. Dear uncle of Brian and Nicole Kwitkin, and Lori and Allison Stein. Dr. Nagel founded The Endodontics Group in 1974. He was well respected in the dental field, admired by colleagues and patients alike. He was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict serving as a Captain in the Air Force. Dr. Nagel was an amazing father and was “Poppy” to his beloved grandchildren. Services at The Wilson Chapel, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton, on Monday, February 3, 2020 at 2:00 pm. Following the service family and friends are invited to the Nagel residence until 8:00 pm. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to The New York Multiple Sclerosis Society, 733 3^rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017. www.nationalmssociety.org.

Jane R. Moss was born in Boston, Massachusetts in May of 1942. She passed away on January 30, 2020. A resident of the Back Bay, Jane committed her life to service, supporting family, friends and her community with daily acts of love.

Jane was born to two dynamic individuals. Her entrepreneurial mother Fay Rotenberg was the founder of the Newbury Street League, and her father Harold Rotenberg was an American Impressionist painter driven by faith and curiosity. Jane grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts on Heath Street, and was known for her independence and irreverence, as well as her fierce protection of her sister Judi and brother Jon. The family spent their summers in Rockport, Massachusetts, where Judi, Jon and Jane had a store,”The Motif” during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

When she moved to Newbury Street in 1985 Jane became a legend, known and beloved by so many: local merchants, salon owners and stylists, ambitious and talented restauranteurs, and fellow residents. Some people called her the Grace Kelly of the Back Bay for her signature silk scarf, tied classically under her chin to protect her perfectly coiffed hair from an errant breeze. Always impeccably dressed from head to toe, Jane had an intuitive sense of style and fashion.

Jane’s work in the world varied, but always revolved around her love of meeting and connecting with people. She was also a property owner on Newbury and Boylston Streets.

Jane relished the opportunity to contribute to organizations where she could make an impact. She served on the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Friends Board, and also volunteered in the infusion room at the Farber for 14 years — making lifelong friends and connections with patients and their families. Jane was also involved with New England Baptist Hospital as well as the Brookline Park and Recreation Committee, and most recently, as a commissioner of the Back Bay Architectural Commission.

Perhaps Jane’s greatest pleasure though, and the evidence of her lasting impact, was the time she invested in her relationships with her great-nieces and nephew. Jane dedicated every Tuesday for fifteen years to attending to the needs of Rebecca, Hannah and Esmé. In this way her social circle grew to include so many young families and school teachers, whom to this day, speak of Jane with affection and joy. In recent years, she returned to Rockport so she could pass the days surrounded by Richie, Madeline and Eloise — rising early with them, sharing Brother’s donuts and drinking Bean and Leaf coffee, before they left for camp. Most recently, Jane took absolute joy in the arrival of Fay and Jonathan’s daughter, and savored every photo of Willa, appreciating the ways she was growing and discovering the world. She was also the greatest of puppy aunts, offering treats to Moxie, Rocky and Freddie at any chance.

Jane will be forever missed by her family, who will strive to honor her legacy of devotion and kindness. She is survived by her siblings, Judi Rotenberg Ross Zuker, Jon Rotenberg, and their spouses, Edward Zuker and Bonnie Rotenberg. She was a world-class aunt to Abigail, Alison, Franklin, Fay and Lee and to their partners, Mark, Ian, Rachel, Jonathan and Zach; Great-aunt to Rebecca Hannah, Esmé, Richard, Madeline, Eloise and Willa, and a loving dog aunt to Freddie, Rocky and Moxie.

Service at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA (parking on the Riverway) on Friday, January 31, 2020 at 1:30 pm. Interment will follow at Temple Israel Cemetery, 492 North Ave., Wakefield, MA. Memorial observance will be held at the home of Abigail and Mark Goodman on Saturday 6-9 pm and Sunday 11 am – 3 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Boston Community Pediatrics, c/o Dr. Robyn Riseberg, 56 Beverly Rd., Wellesley, MA 02481.

Sokolov, Hyman Benjamin, of Framingham, MA, passed away on January 26, 2020. Beloved husband of the late Carol Sokolov. Devoted father of Barry Neal Sokolov and his wife Maureen, Marcy Aaron and her partner Leonard Cordaro, and Philip Gary Sokolov and his husband Timothy Labanon. Cherished grandfather of Michelle Jamie Koppelman and her husband Dr. Adam Koppelman, Lauren Sokolov, and Amelia Labanon. Proud great grandfather of Tobin Wolfe Koppelman, Andrew Sokolov, and Summer and Shyanne Sokolov. Loving brother of the late Irving Sokolov and Frances Sokolov. He was the owner of Clough’s Pharmacy in Framimgham, MA. Graveside service at Framingham-Natick Hebrew Cemetery, Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at Noon. In lieu of flowers, donations in Hyman’s memory may be made to Temple Beth Sholom, 50 Pamela Rd., Framingham, MA 01701.