Sidney Joseph Friedman, April 3, 2025. Sidney was born into the loving family of Eleanor and William Friedman, sister Miriam Schwab, and brother William Friedman, Jr. He attended Greenwood Grade school, and Roosevelt Junior and Senior High School. In high school he enjoyed basketball and creating the Senior Frolics. He attended Princeton where he majored in English and graduated summa cum laude in both English and the humanities. Sidney did graduate work at the University of Iowa in the department of speech and dramatic art. He completed a MA degree in directing and PH D in dramatic theory. In his second year he married his childhood neighbor, Margo. Their daughter Lisa was born, and the family moved to Saint Louis where Sidney became a Professor at Washington University. There he collaborated with Princeton classmate, Richard Palmer, in creating a new performing arts program. In St. Louis, his son Mark was born.

Seeing the opportunity to work in a pre-professional program, he moved to Boston in 1981, taking a position in the School of Theatre at Boston University where he first taught acting and directing. He then collaborated in the creation of a new program called Theatre Arts for students whose interests were in theatre but spanned beyond that. He also completed over 100 plays directed, some invited to be remounted at the Kennedy Center. Occasionally, to keep himself honest, he acted under other directors. Retiring in 2018, he wrote a one man show about encountering his family’s Holocaust survivors.

Sidney is survived by his wife Margo, daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Philip Miller, grandchildren Isaiah, Leah, and Lila Miller. Son, Mark and daughter in law Alex Friedman and grandchildren Jacob and Theo Friedman, sister-in-law Johnnie Friedman. Brother and sister-in-law Richard and Linda Friedman and the late Brian Friedman. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He is remembered by a relative as “possessing wisdom that comes from an authentic life well-lived. He had quiet strength and a stoic demeanor.” He was loving, brilliant, patient, witty, inclusive, creative, strong, motivated and compassionate. He was revered by family, students, colleagues and friends alike. A true renaissance man.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 am Monday, April 7, 2025 at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Rd., Wellesley, MA. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, 148 Brook St., Wellesley, MA. Donations in his memory may be made to Dana Farber (c/o Dr. Ann LaCasce), The Sidney Friedman Prize – Boston University School of Theatre or Temple Beth Elohim.

Evelyn “Evi” Shumsky 89, of Cambridge, MA, passed peacefully on April 3, 2025 after a long illness. Born in Mattapan, MA on April 11, 1935, Evi is survived by her loving husband Jack, sons David and wife Emily, Robert and partner Nora Madjar, grandchildren Benjamin, Elliot, Autumn, and Lyra. Evi was the daughter of the late Boris and Beatrice Shambad, and sister to the late Laurene Levy and sister-in-law to the late Harold Levy.

“Giving To Others” was Evi’s motto. She always deflected compliments and strove to help others. She had many gifts, including organizational skills learned from her mother and artistic talents from her father. She obtained a bachelor’s degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Tufts University, and a Masters in Art Education from Syracuse University. Her first career was as a gifted art teacher and Director of Art Education in the Binghamton, NY school system. Later she retrained to have a second career in electronic, optical and architectural drafting. Of these many endeavors one stands out above the others, raising a family. From the time her children were infants until she became a grandmother, she nurtured children and emphasized honesty, integrity, responsibility, generosity, kindness, and creativity, all with humor and compassion. She also applied this approach to dealing with Jack – not an easy task. In her Belmont neighborhood, she established block parties and community yard sales that continue to this day.

A graveside service will be held at the Mohliver Cemetery, 776 Baker Street, West Roxbury, MA on Monday, April 7 at noon.

Gifts in her memory may be made to the following or a charity of your choice.

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts,
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-massachusetts

WGBH
https://donate.wgbh.org/wgbh/donate

Guntram Bernhard Mueller  1941-2025

Guntram was born in Germany in 1941 during an air raid. The experience living in war-torn Germany led him to dedicate the rest of his life to working for peace and nuclear non-proliferation. Even with this traumatic beginning, he lived his life with a sense of joy and laughter.

He loved his students at both Boston State College and UMass Lowell, where he started Math Challenge.

He was surrounded by the love of his wife Edith (Aronowitz) Mueller, his daughter Ariadne and her late wife, Tina (z”l), his 5 grandchildren Adele, Vito, Michele, Francesco, and Lucca Maiorano, and his extended family and close friends.

Funeral service Friday, April 4, 2025 at 11 am in the Chapel at Newton Cemetery, 791 Walnut St., Newton, MA.  Interment following service.

Shiva observance at the home of Ariadne Mueller on Saturday from 6-8 pm and Sunday from 1-4 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Oxfam.

To view the livestream click here.

Shirley T. Wise, 92 yrs, of Newton, passed on March 25, 2025, joining her beloved husband David M. Wise. She is the daughter of the late Lillian (Golden) Applebaum and sister of the late Barbara Malfy. She was also the beloved mother of Betsy (Steve Cohen) and Howard (Janice) and the late Peter (Terry Wilson). Shirley was also the grandmother of Scott Barczewski (Nicole), Dana Barczewski (JD), David, Luke and Samuel Wise, Nicole Johnston and Max Wise (Marissa). She is survived by 8 great grandchildren.

Shirley was born in Dorchester but would say her life began when she met “my David”, the love of her life. Her happiest days were when she moved into the attic of the Wise house with her new husband. There were many Wises and one bathroom, yet she boasted that there were never fights. That was the way she and her husband conducted themselves, always. Her children swear their parents never fought in front of them.

Shirley and David raised three children in Framingham and the Waban section of Newton MA. They reveled in their children’s, grandchildren’s and great grandchildren’s lives. They bought a beautiful home in Falmouth MA and had many happy long weekends with their family and Cape friends. She was a “super mom” volunteering at Hadassah, in Children’s Hospital and, for the Children’s Hospital League.

When tragedy struck and David died young in 1988, and her son Peter passed in 1999, Shirley faced challenges but always carried herself with grace. She would pull herself together, snap her fingers and announce “Showtime!” Eventually she moved to Florida, where she lived in Boca Raton. She improved her golf game and would always “putt for dough.” Some of her favorite memories included teaching her grandson Scott to golf, the Passover potato eating challenge and bargains.

Shirley might have been 5 feet tall but she carried herself with twice the stature, like someone that “owned the place.”  She loved travel and saw much of the world in her later years. She loved old movies and was an avid follower of the news. She sought out intelligent conversation and would often engage strangers in conversation. Above all she was ferociously proud of her kids, grandkids and great grandkids that could do no wrong.

Her funeral was held on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at Sharon Memorial Park. The service was livestreamed. The link to view the funeral can be found at www.brezniakfd.com. In lieu of flowers, donations in Shirley’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org , or the charity of your choice.

Edward B. Weiner, aged 92, of Tewksbury, MA passed away peacefully March 30, 2025 at Care Dimensions Hospice after a brief illness.  Beloved husband of Sally for nearly 49 years.  Beloved father to Paul Jay (Kelly) Weiner of Lowell, MA and Lee Hope (Scott) McIver of Kingston, MA and Step-father of Deborah Ciano of Tewksbury, MA and Patrick Thompson, of Clinton, MA. Loving grandfather of eight and great-grandfather of two.  He was a son, father, grandfather, uncle and friend.

He had a long career at Polaroid Corporation and retired in 1995.  He had a love of traveling inspired by his service in the Navy.  He traveled to many different places around the world, sometimes revisiting locations multiple times.  He took all his children and grandchildren to Disney world and his last big trips were to China with Sally and to Spain with his friend, Bob.

Edward was pre-deceased by all his siblings whom he missed greatly.  He was also recently pre-deceased by his life-long friend, Lester Levenbaum.  He is survived by his life-friends Bob Waldorf and Bob Daniels.

He loved a good joke and on any given day he would send a joke, by email, text, or post on social media.  He never forgot a joke and even once won a competition on a cruise ship for the best comedian. Right up until the end he was still cracking jokes.

Edward enjoyed a good steak without anything on it, because why ruin it with a topping? He also enjoyed Chinese food especially at the Golden Gate in Chinatown.  Every week for years he would travel to the Chelsea to have pizza and beer with his brother-in-law John and late sister-in-law Lesley.

We wish to acknowledge the wonderful care provided by all the doctors, nurses, physical therapists, surgeons, and social workers at Winchester Hospital, during his last month in patient as well as the care provided by Care Dimensions, albeit a brief overnight stay.

Graveside services will be held Thursday, April 3^rd, at Temple Israel Cemetery, 492 North Ave., Wakefield, MA 01880 at 11 a.m. Friends and family are welcome. Please join us immediately following the service to enjoy some Chinese food to celebrate Edward’s long life.In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society or a charity of your choice.

To view livestream of funeral click here

Daniel P. Kunitz passed away surrounded by family on March 31, 2025. Beloved husband of the late Joan Kunitz (née Molner) for 63 years. Devoted father of Robin (Eitan) Cohen, Laurel (Marvin) Simkovich, and David (JoAnn) Kunitz. Dear grandfather of Amir Cohen, Naomi Cohen BenGigi, Yair Cohen, Aaron Simkovich, Shoshana Simkovich, Elisha Simkovich, Yaakov Simkovich, and Suzy Roche. He leaves 14 wonderful great grandchildren. Loving brother of the late Michael Kunitz. He also leaves behind many loving nieces, nephews, extended family, dearest friends, and former students. Dan was an acclaimed and passionate public school teacher for over 50 years. Funeral to take place on Wednesday April 2, 2025 at 11:30 am at Temple Shalom, 175 Temple St., Newton, MA, followed by burial in Shara Tfilo Cemetery, 776 Baker St. West Roxbury, MA. Shiva will commence at the Kunitz residence Wednesday afternoon April 2, 2025 at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to The Newton Food Pantry, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA 02459.

Victor Stanley Ostrower died on March 30, 2025 in Brookline, MA. Victor was the beloved husband of Valerie Ostrower, son of Joseph and Ann Ostrower, brother of Gary Ostrower, father of Matthew, Daniel, Samuel, and Jessica Ostrower, and grandfather of Cory, Adina, Joshua, Duncan, Gabriel, Simon, Alex, Solomon, and Frances. Victor died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, after a brave and dignified fight with pancreatic cancer.

Victor devoted his life to the care and healing of others, through a long career in gastroenterology and hepatology. He was especially known for his kindness, personal touch, and attentiveness to the non-medical aspects of care. When he occasionally took his children to visit his places of work, they were regaled by nurses, doctors, and staff about how wonderful, kind, and loving he was to patients and colleagues alike. Victor gave special attention to those patients nearing the end of their lives and prided himself on helping them and their families find agency, peace, and dignity in their final moments. In the end, he modeled his teachings.

Victor was a devoted husband. He never hesitated to tell anyone who would listen that he was punching way above his weight and fully appreciated his luck. He doted on Valerie at every turn.

He reveled in beauty, both natural wonders and the arts. He was a photographer, an avid participant in the classical music scene, an awful cello player, and an avid museum goer. He was famous for getting verklempt when he described any of these. He shared this love with his family through many vacations to the national parks and great cities, creating cherished memories–and interminable slideshows–that his family recounts passionately and will pass enthusiastically from generation to generation.

Whether you were a family member, a lifelong friend, or someone he just met at the supermarket or coffee shop, you knew Victor as an easy conversationalist, a vivid storyteller, and a spreader of good cheer. His broad smile, easy manner, and natural gregariousness were signs of his implicit trust in others and boundless ability to find joy in any moment.

His warmth and selflessness will be missed by all those fortunate enough to have known him.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 4, 2025 at 10:30 AM at Temple Isaiah, 55 Lincoln Street, Lexington, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Victor’s honor to the American Cancer Society or ACLU.

To view livestream of funeral service click here

It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Eve Goldberg, 46. She was the beloved wife of Brian Lynch and the devoted mother to Eleanor, Madeline and Miriam.

Eve is survived by her parents, Sarah and David Goldberg, her sister Jessica Goldberg, her brother and sister-in-law William and Alison Goldberg, and her nieces Lila and Ava Goldberg, Maeve Pospischil and nephew Eamon Pospischil. Also, survived by her mother-in-law and father-in-law Rosemary and Joseph Lynch and brother-in-law David Pospischil and sister-in-law Jo-Anne Lynch.

Eve was a graduate of George Washington University and the Harvard University School of Education and worked as the Director of Research at the Center for Collaborative Education.

A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 11am at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA. Burial will follow at Beth El Cemetery, 776 Baker St., West Roxbury, MA. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Eve’s memory to support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute or the Boston Education Fund.

Richard William Barrett, age 56, of Concord, MA died Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Graveside services will be held Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 1 PM at Beit Olam East Cemetery, 42 Concord Road, Wayland.

Shiva at the residence of beloved wife, Nancy and cherished children, William and Natalie will be Wednesday March 26, immediately following service until 8 pm; Thursday and Friday from 3-8PM.