Obituaries

Howard Richard Ansel passed away peacefully in his Natick home on Sunday, April 3, 2016. He was born in Quincy Massachusetts, the son of the late state senator Julius Ansel and Lillian Karp Ansel.

He is survived by his wife Piera Ceste Ansel and his two daughters, Wendy Ansel of New Mexico and Jodi Ansel and her husband Glenn Kelly of Newton. His son James Ansel predeceased him. He also leaves behind two grandsons Ethan and Dylan Ansel-Kelly, his sister Barbara Ansel Shapiro and her husband Sonny of Stoughton, his niece Donna Donovan of Stoughton, his nephew Dr. Michael Shapiro of Raynham, his sister-in-law Ada Ceste Thompson of Charlton, and his dearest friend John Ciccorello of Natick.

He was a graduate of Roxbury Boys Memorial Class of 1955. He joined the Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1959 and spent a year in Puerto Rico before returning to Massachusetts. He worked as a machinist for most of his life. Music was his special joy, but he also enjoyed sports and the beach. He was a wonderful, thoughtful, loving and kind man. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, co-workers and all who knew him.

Services at King Solomon Memorial Park, 2690 Centre St., West Roxbury, Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 12:00 noon.  To honor his memory, donations may be made to the Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton to honor his love of animals.

He always did it his way with love.

Eleanor “Ellie” (Golub) Levine of Dedham, formerly of Newton, passed away on April 3, 2016. Beloved wife of the late Leonard Irving Levine. Loving mother of Richard Levine of Short Hills, NJ, Amy and David Abrams of Brookline, and Paul Levine of Boston. Cherished grandmother of Caroline Levine, Daniel Abrams, Michael Abrams and Metok Hughes-Levine. Dear sister of Joan Golub. Interment service will be private. Memorial observance at the home of Amy and David Abrams, 20 Lowell Lane, Brookline, MA, on Tuesday 6:00-8:00 pm. Remembrances may be made to Hebrew Senior Life, 1200 Centre St., Boston, MA 02131 or via hebrewseniorlife.org/giving.

Formerly of Weston, MA and Singer Island, FL, on April 2, 2016. Beloved wife of the late Herman Laffer. Devoted mother of Steven and Leslie Peck, Philip and Paige Peck, and Sharon and Ben Levitan. Cherished nana of Michelle and Jason, Melissa, Marlee, Harrison, Dara, Elana, Gabrielle and Benjamin. Services in the Chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, on Monday, April 4, 2016 at 10:00 am. Immediately following the service, memorial observance will be at the home of Sharon and Ben Levitan until 5pm and 6:30-8:30 pm, and will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday 1-4 pm and 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Memorial observance will continue at the home of Philip and Paige Peck on Thursday from 1:00 – 4:30 pm and 6:30 – 8:30 pm and Friday from 1-4 pm.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hadassah or American Heart Association.

Of Brighton, on April 1, 2016, in her 100^th year. Beloved wife of the late Philip Riseman. Devoted  mother of Robert Riseman and his wife Luisa Lawrence Riseman, and Lesley Nemser and her husband Nelson. Loving grandmother of Amy (Dan), Michele (Todd), Sam, and Lorelei. Cherished great-grandmother of Mia, Adam, and Kyla. Dear sister of the late Morris Kaplan, Louis Kaplan, Rubin Kaplan, Jack Kaplan, Richard Kaplan, and Mickey Kaplan. Services at the Vilkomir Cemetery, 781 Broadway (Rt. 99), Melrose, on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 1:00 pm. Memorial observance at the home of Lesley and Nelson Nemser on Sunday following the service until 6:00 pm and Monday and Tuesday, 1-4 & 7-9 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to a charity of choice.

Age 74, of Braintree, passed away on April 1, 2016 after a long illness. She was the devoted daughter of the late John Rudnisky and the late Edna (Smith) Rudy.  Linda is survived by her beloved brothers, Kenneth Rudnisky and Steven Rudnisky, as well as many cherished nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Services will be held at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 10:45 am. Memorial observance at the home of Steven Rudnisky on Tuesday evening 7-9 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Linda’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Nelson Stone- of Chestnut Hill, on March 30, 2016. Beloved husband of Joan (Grossman) Stone. Adored son of the late Mollie L. and Eli E. Stone. Devoted father of Alan R. Stone and his wife Marla G. Stone, and Carolyn S. Miller and her husband Bruce. Cherished grandfather of Jeffrey, Michael, James, and Douglas Stone, Andrea and Jonathan Miller. Loving brother of William L. Stone and his late wife Fay Stone, brother- in- law of Sylvia Kaplan and the late Dr. David Kaplan, and loving uncle to their children. Nelson was a graduate of Roxbury Latin School and Harvard University. Graveside service at Temple Emeth Memorial Park, 776 Baker St., West Roxbury, on Friday, April 1, 2016 at 12:00 noon. Following the service, memorial observance will be at the home of Carolyn and Bruce Miller on Friday until 5 pm and Sunday 1-4 pm. Remembrances may be made to Sherrill House, 135 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130, or to a charity of your choice –

Of Arlington, on March 30, 2016. Beloved husband of Lori Meltzer. Devoted father of Joseph. Services at Congregation Or Atid, 97 Concord Rd., Wayland, Friday, April 1, 2016 at 1 pm. Following interment at Beit Olam – East Cemetery, shiva/open house will be held at the Meltzer/Keesan home on Friday with a minyan at 8 pm, Saturday and Sunday 3-9 pm with a minyan service at 8 pm, and Monday 6-9 pm with a minyan service at 8 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to MWS Commissioning Fund, mws-boston.org; School of Honk, schoolofhonk.org; or Havurat Shalom, the hav.org

Howard David Hillman- Age 81, on March 2, 2016, after a heroic battle, surrounded by his loved ones. Adored husband of Carol Hillman, brother and brother in law to Connie and Leo Miller, uncle to Wayne, Michael, Regina and Hayley Miller, and Molly Mehlsack, great-uncle to Arianna Grace, Mason Oliver and Jaden Alexander, cousin to Barbara Mehlsack. Howard had a forceful thirst for life and knowledge. He traveled the globe, enjoyed the arts of all kinds as well as good food (especially dessert) and drink. He was a man of many qualities – stubborn, feisty, and a consummate punster, balletomane and opera buff. But most importantly he loved his wife Carol and his family and friends more than anything else. Howard, we all thank you for the years we got to love each other. We will miss you in ways for which there are no words. Carol, Connie and Leo, Michael and Hayley, Wayne and Regina, Nancy and Ken, Molly and Barbara. Memorial service to be held on Sunday, May 1, 2016, 2:00 pm at Cong. Ohabei Shalom in Brookline. Donations in Howard’s memory may be made to the Boston Ballet, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, or the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Abraham (Abe) Shenker was born on June 11^th, 1959 in New York to Lewis Shenker, MD and Cynthia Shenker. He passed away on Sunday, March 27^th after a long and courageous battle with cancer.  He was a long-term resident of Lexington, MA.

Abe was a true renaissance man and a warm and loving son, brother, father, grandfather, friend, and colleague. Abe graduated from the University of Michigan in 1981 with a degree in computer engineering.  He was a superb software architect and an early developer and proponent of speech recognition software.  He loved to discover and explore new technologies and used them to bring joy to others’ lives. He approached new projects and passions with gusto, including the management of the website at his children’s school on a volunteer basis for many years.

Abe loved cycling, the beach, and spending time with family. His sense of humor and play and his willingness to help others were among his trademarks.

Even after he was diagnosed with cancer, he never gave up hope. He blogged about his treatment, renovated a home in Cape Cod, traveled internationally, and planned Thanksgiving celebrations with family.

Abe is survived by his wife Veronica, his children Sol, Sam, and Abby, his granddaughter Valerie, his brother Andy, sister Nancy and mother Cynthia, and stepchildren Daniel and Joseph.

Service at Wilson Chapel, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton, MA on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 1:00 pm. Memorial observance at the Shenker/Vedensky residence on Tuesday and Wednesday 6:00-8:00 pm.

Contributions in Abe’s memory may be made to Friends of Lexington Bikeway, c/o Bob Hausslein, 20 Slocum Rd., Lexington, MA 02421 (www.folb.net) or to Pan-Mass Challenge, (www.pmc.org) specify rider ID# AS0158.

Broad-Chester H., formerly of Newton, on March 24, 2016. Beloved husband of the late Frances (Freedman) Broad. Devoted father of Janice Bergstein and her husband David, Cindy Wolfson and her husband Louis. Dear grandfather of Jeremy (Anna), Rachel (James), Michael (Kari), and Samantha (Matt). Great-grandfather of Sebastian, Liv, Weston and Reid. Loving brother of the late Katherine Slater and Mike Broad. Graveside service at Lindwood Memorial Park, 490 North St., Randolph, on Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 480 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472.