Obituaries

Rosen- Edith (Shwom), born in Plymouth MA in 1920, passed away at home in Chicago, IL on July 7,2017. Beloved wife for 63 years of the late Samuel Rosen, Edith moved to Chicago in 2007 shortly after his passing. She continued her active lifestyle at Brookdale Senior Living, reading to children with WITS, singing in the Brookdale Chorus, baking brownies and strudel for her many new friends and exercising regularly. She is remembered as the loving mother of Paula Dahari and Janet (Larry) Eaton, and the proud grandmother of Daniel Ellis Dahari and Justin Ross (Dominique Sorresso) Eaton. Service in the Chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham Street, Sharon, on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 12 Noon. Memorial contributions may be made to JourneyCare, www. journeycare.org/donate.

Checkoway- Norman, of Framingham, formerly of Haverhill, on July 7, 2017. Beloved husband of Barbara E. (Snider) Checkoway. Devoted father of Steven (Elisa), Nelson (Paula), and Martin (Donna). Dear grandfather of Emily, Michael, Laura, Spencer, Eva, Daniel and the late Chloe. Loving Brother of Naftali. Graveside service at Children of Israel Cemetery, 324 Middle Road, Haverhill, on Monday, July 10, 2017 at 11 am. Memorial observance will be at his residence from 6-9 pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Remembrances may be made to Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A., 1811 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Gerstl- Jeffrey D., of Franklin, formerly of Framingham and Hull, on July 3, 2017. Beloved husband of Sheila (Chonin) Gerstl. Dear son of the late Sam Gerstl and Ruth (Stein) Gerstl. Devoted father of Brian Gerstl and Robert Gerstl. Dear grandfather of Cody Gerstl. Loving brother of Mark Gerstl, Cindy Gerstl and her wife Julie Kern, and the late Paul Gerstl. Jeff was a wonderful uncle, cousin and friend to all who loved him. Graveside service at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, on Friday, July 7, 2017 at 12:45 pm. Please gather at the rear of the Administration Building. Memorial observance will be at his late residence throughout the weekend. Remembrances may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 330 Congress St., Boston,MA  02110.

Michael K. Lillian-of Brighton, on July 4, 2017.Beloved companion of Cynthia Segal. Dear brother of Joel Lillian and his wife Hoa Tran, and Joy Niedzwiecki and her late husband Thomas. Dear uncle of Sarah Niedzwiecki. Service is private. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to Temple Sinai, 50 Sewall Ave., Brookline,MA 02446.

Age 96, of Brookline, formerly of Chestnut Hill, on July 1, 2017. Beloved husband of the late Selma E. (Wolff) Scher. Devoted father of Melissa Scher, Bill Scher and his wife Debby, and Lauri Chmielewski and her husband Stephen. Loving grandfather of Arielle and Adam Scher and Matthew and Madeline Chmielewski. Dear brother of the late Max, Joseph, and Murray Scher, Sylvia Scharlat, and Ruth Wenger. Graveside service at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon (gather behind the administration building), Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 11:45 am. Memorial observance at the Chmielewski home on Wednesday and Thursday 5-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Hebrew Senior Life, Development Office, 1200 Centre St., Boston, MA 02131.

On June 30, 2017, Laura Feldman, M.D., of Boston and Vineyard Haven, previously of Brookline and Longmeadow, MA, after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, at age 70. Beloved wife of Bruce Kinch, devoted mother of Evan Feldman-Boshes, of Cambridge, and Erica Feldman-Boshes of Boston.

Dr. Feldman was born in New York City, and was a proud alumna of the High School of Music and Art. She graduated Cum Laude from Barnard College and earned a MS in Mathematics from Cornell University before receiving her M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Feldman did her residency in Interventional Radiology at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, and her fellowship in Cardiovascular Radiology at Mass General. She continued her practice at MGH for 5 years before joining the University of Chicago Medical Center as Staff Radiologist. She was Chief of Cardiovascular Radiology at the Boston VA Medical Center for 6 years, subsequently Staff Radiologist at St. Elizabeth’s, Boston, and for 6 years Staff Radiologist at Presbyterian Hospital, Albuquerque, NM. From 2010 to 2016, she was an Interventional Radiologist at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA.

During her career, she held academic appointments at the University of Chicago, Tufts University, Boston University, and Harvard University. She was a Fellow, the Society for Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, and a past President of the New England Society for Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology.

Dr. Feldman was a spirited woman who loved to travel, read ferociously, ate with rapture, and found happiness and contentment on her islands: Manhattan, Martha’s Vineyard, and St. John.  She was a passionate, lifelong advocate for women’s issues. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her name to Planned Parenthood. Memorial Service will be held at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, on Friday, July 7,2017 at 10:00 am.Please park on the Riverway. Following the service a reception will be held at Temple Israel.

Herman, Michael E.-formerly of Newton,MA,presently of Fitzwilliam, NH and Naples, FL,died Friday morning at the home of Cheryl Kottke, his significant other,with her at his side.Son of the late Samuel and Dorothy”Tootsie”Herman, he was predeceased by his wife Meryl Starr Herman. Devoted father of Perry and his wife Jackie, Jennifer and Starr Herman. Dear brother of Bonnie Bycoff, and and Dennis Herman and his wife Cece. Dear uncle of William Herman, Matthew Herman, Seth Herman, Amanda Perrin, Tamra Herman Olsen, Gregory, Kenny, Lorne, and Doug Bycoff  and his fiancé, Jenna Foley. Michael was a graduate of Boston University Business  School in accounting, Suffolk University Law School and Boston University Law School with a Masters degree in Taxation. He served with the 26^th Yankee Division,Mass National Guard. He worked as  CPA/Attorney for more than 45 years with his brother Dennis in the firm of Herman and Herman. He was Treasurer of the YMHA Alumni Association and was a Board member of Camp Kingswood. Graveside service at Sharon Memorial Park,40 Dedham St., Sharon, on Sunday, July 2, 2017 at 10:45 am. Following the service  memorial observance will be at the home of Perry and Jackie Herman until 5:00pm and Monday 10:00am – 3:00pm. Remembrances in his memory may be made to Jewish War Veterans, Newton Post 211, 832 Dedham St.,Newton, MA 02459 .

Harry C. Wechsler, 97, of Weston, MA – chemist, business leader, and philanthropist – died June 29, 2017. His career spanned bench research in the nascent plastics industry to the presidencies of Borden Chemical and Beatrice Chemical, Inc.; ownership of the Farboil Company; and the founding of the Institute of Contemporary Affairs and NGO Monitor in Jerusalem. Wechsler was known for his incisive analytical skills, vast store of knowledge and international experience, patrician demeanor, and generosity with both counsel and resources.

Harry Wechsler was born and raised in Iasi, Romania, the oldest son of a wealthy, Jewish textile manufacturer. He attended college in Manchester, England, until forced to leave by the outbreak of World War II. Idealistic and ambitious, and chafing against the anti-semitism of his home country, he emigrated to Palestine in 1940, where he became part of a circle of young leaders active in building the new state of Israel. There he earned a master’s degree in polymer chemistry at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. He then traveled to the U.S. to get his doctorate in polymer chemistry at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York University). During this time, he led a group of chemists in a clandestine ordnance project designed to assist Israel’s defense by bypassing a mideast arms embargo.

Wechsler’s career then took him to Borden Inc, where he was instrumental in creating the stretchable, clear plastic wrap that has since become ubiquitous in supermarket food packaging. He established Borden as a force in the field of thermoplastics and packaging films, and quickly rose to become president of its chemical division.

In 1972, he moved to Beatrice Companies, Inc, where he developed the Beatrice Chemical Division, eventually acquiring and supervising 23 domestic and international profit centers. Under his management, the Chemical Division grew 15-fold, with activities in ten lines of business, including the manufacture of acrylic and polyurethane polymers, leather finishes, printing inks, compounded engineering plastics, and graphite composites for missiles and the aircraft/aerospace industry.

In 1985, when Beatrice sold its chemical division in a $760,000,000 transaction, Wechsler purchased Farboil, one of its companies. He continued to manage and build Farboil as President and co-owner for 14 years, producing high performance electrical encapsulating compounds, powdered coatings, and other specialty chemical compounds.

After selling Farboil in 1999, Wechsler made his longtime philanthropic work a full-time job. In 2001 he founded the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, an international policy forum and think tank addressing Israel’s security challenges. The following year he co-founded NGO Monitor, a watchdog organization working to expose non-governmental organizations that unfairly criticize Israel and distort its human rights record. Both organizations have broad international reach.

Wechsler also raised the funds to endow the Herman F. Mark Chair in Polymer Science at NYU Polytechnic Institute, and was the founding donor of the endowed Wechsler Award for Faculty Excellence at Polytechnic University. He has served on numerous university, business, and civic boards, and was the founding donor of a fellowship in orthopedic tumor research at Massachusetts General Hospital. In all his endeavors, Wechsler was not a passive philanthropist but provided on-going direction and hands-on advice and support.

Throughout his life, Wechsler, who spoke seven languages, maintained a deep familiarity with international developments, keeping abreast of political and economic affairs around the world. He traveled extensively, both as an executive expanding Beatrice Chemical internationally, and as a global citizen. He became a proud and patriotic American, while retaining cultural ties to Europe and remaining passionately devoted to Israel.

As in business, Wechsler had a full family life and was remarkably forward-thinking. Decades before the women’s movement, he encouraged his wife to earn a PhD and become a practicing psychologist, and he later encouraged his three daughters to pursue graduate degrees and establish professional careers. He organized the family’s religious observances; patronized the arts; was the life of every party; and generously dispensed insights, humor, money and advice. He was successful in every dimension of his life.

His survivors include his beloved wife, Ruth Reiser Wechsler, who shared his life for 68 years; three daughters and sons-in-law: Mia Wechsler Doron (Scott) of Durham, NC; Dana Wechsler Linden (Larry) of New York, NY; and Sharon Wechsler Jacques (Michael) of Acton, MA; two nephews, Joav Leventer and Oded Leventer of Tel Aviv, Israel; and five grandchildren: Anna Craig, Nathan Jacques, Tess Linden, Lily Doron, and Maya Linden.

A private, graveside funeral will be followed by a memorial service at a future date.

of Randolph, on June 29, 2017. Beloved wife of the late Leon Katler. Devoted mother of Elissa Katler (Damien DiBona), Marshall Katler (Caryl Simon-Katler), Paul Katler (Beryl Reid) and Marilyn Katler (Barry Rosenberg). Dear grandmother of Mikhaela, Max, Rachel, and David. Cherished great-grandmother of Zora, Rivka and Dean. Loving sister of Sarah Fine and the late Abraham, Reuben, Eva, Dora, Hyman, Philip and Milton. Graveside service at Moses Mendelsohn Cemetery, 490 North Street, Randolph, Sunday, July 2, 2017, at 1:30 pm. Following service, memorial observance will be held at Ahavath Torah Congregation, 1179 Central St., Stoughton, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Richard R. Ravech-of Boca Raton, FL and Needham, on June 28, 2017.Beloved husband of 62 years to Sonia (Yassen) Ravech. Devoted father of Ellen Winnick, Marcie Schwartz and her husband Stephen, Larry Ravech and his wife Janet, and Mike Ravech. Loving grandfather of Jeffrey Winnick and his wife Cianna, Jessica Winnick, Ben Williams and his wife Monica, Jake Williams, Tyler and Emily Ravech, and Michael A. Ravech. Dear great-grandfather of Kylie and Chase Winnick. Devoted brother of Louis Ravech and his wife Toby, and Barry Ravech and his wife Nancy. Services at Temple Ohabei Shalom, 1187 Beacon St., Brookline, on Friday, June 30, 2017 at 12:00 noon. Following interment at Sharon Memorial Park, memorial observance will be at the residence of Larry and Janet Ravech until 8:00 pm Friday and will continue Sunday 2-7:30 pm. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168 Boston, MA  02284-9168 or Care Dimensions Hospice, 75 Sylvan St, Suite D, Danvers, MA 01923. www.CareDimensions.org