Obituaries

of Needham, on February 2, 2015. Beloved wife of the late Bernard M. Francer. Devoted mother of Gary Francer and his wife Amy of Hopedale, Elise Marcus of Needham, and Ellen Mendes and her husband John of Burlington. Dear grandmother of Jacob, Rachel, Jeff, Adam, and Michael. Loving twin sister of Edythe Rosenfield and her husband Walter, and the late Maurice, Irving, and William Fisher. Services at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington St., (Rt. 16), Newton on Friday, February 6, 2015 at 11:00 am. Following interment at the Roxbury Mutual Society Cemetery in Woburn, memorial observance will be held at the home of Ellen and John Mendes from 2-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of MA, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472.

Thelma (Sissenwine) Isenberg-of Hollywood, FL, formerly of West Newton and  Attleboro, MA, on February 1, 2015. Born Sept. 16, 1917. Beloved wife of the late Abraham C. Isenberg, to whom she was married for 70 years. Dear daughter of the late Ida (Kessler) Sissenwine and Herman Sissenwine. Devoted mother of Gerald I. Isenberg and his wife Caroline of Santa Barbara, CA, Lee I. Saltz and her husband George of Ridgefield, CT, and Edward D. Isenberg and his wife Helen of Alberquerque, NM. Also survived by 7 grandchildren. Thelma grew up in Dorchester and No. Attleboro. She was a longtime volunteer at Beth Israel Hospital, and enjoyed playing bridge. She was a fine calligrapher and owner of The Elegant Hand store. She never got tired of listening to others, and was never judgmental. The family was very lucky to have Norma Simpson as caregiver to both Thelma and Abraham. Norma is a valued part of our extended family. Private burial was held at Sharon Memorial Park. A memorial service will take place in the spring. Remembrances may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014,
Hagerstown, MD 21741-5041.

S. George Bromberg- of Lexington, passed away on January 31, 2015. He is survived by his devoted wife of 55 years, Carol, his loving sons, David, and Larry and his wife Renee, and his cherished grandchildren, who uplifted his spirits throughout his lengthy illness. Born in Malden, he pursued a career in law and public service. In the early nineteen-seventies he was a strong anti-smoking advocate, declaring no smoking in his law offices and his State House hearings, where he served as Chairman of the State Ballot Commission for ten years. An early proponent of gun laws, he drew up the corporation for “People versus Handguns” which initiated a referendum in Massachusetts seeking a total ban on handguns. Energetic and determined in his professional life, he applied the same energy and determination in his retirement years which served him well as he battled his many illnesses. Interment and memorial observance will be private. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to MGH Cancer Center, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114.

Shifman, Joel H.– of Bellingham, MA, formerly of Stoughton, suddenly on January 31, 2015.  For 45 beautiful and loving years Joel was the beloved husband of Sue (Berenson) Shifman. Incredible father of Elisha Stone and her husband John of Sutton and Michael Shifman and his wife Anuke  of Bellingham. He was blessed with five grandchildren: Austin, Taylor, Evan, Logan and Blake. He was the son of the late Lena and Lawrence Shifman and brother of Norman and Sandy Shifman and Edward and Sandy Shifman. Loving brother-in-law of the late Narla McGill. He will forever be remembered in our hearts and memories as the man who would give you “the shirt off his back”. He was the superman of fathers who could do anything in our eyes. Services  at The Chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, MA, on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 2:00 pm.    Remembrances may be made to the American Heart Association, 300  5^th Ave., Suite 6, Waltham, MA  02451.

Shirley Stone-Services pending.

Lee M. Gardner-of Newton,  age 41, passed away at Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center on Friday, January 30, 2015, after a courageous battle with heart disease. Devoted father of Fallon Dana Gardner. Beloved son of Jay Gardner and the late Ardelle (Levine) Gardner. Dear brother of  Scott Gardner. Survived by his former wife Pamela Boilen Gardner. Devoted grandson of  Paula Levine and the late P. Raymond Levine and the late Arnold and Ann-Gordon Gardner. Also survived by loving aunts and uncles and numerous cousins. Services at The Wilson Chapel, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton Centre (on the campus of Hebrew College and Andover-Newton Theological School), on Tuesday, February 3, 2015  at  12:00 noon. Following interment at Lindwood Memorial Park, Randolph, memorial observance will be held at his residence until 6:00 pm and Wednesday 2-7 pm. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to a charity of your choice.

To  view the service on Tuesday,  Please go to        Ustream.tv/andovernewton

The service will appear at 11:55  from Wilson Chapel

PRANSKY, Irving- formerly of Stoughton and Brookline, on January 29, 2015. Beloved husband of the late Pauline (Berger). Devoted father of Alan Pransky (Deborah) and Deborah Levine (Mark). Dear grandfather of Joshua and Ethan Pransky, Eric and Scott Levine, and great-grandfather of Micah Pransky. Loving brother of the late Joseph, Julius, Sarah, Bess, Ada and Gertrude. Services at Ahavath Torah Congregation, 1179 Central St., Stoughton, on Sunday, February 1, 2015 at 9:30 am. Following interment at Lindwood Memorial Park, Randolph, memorial observance at the home of Deborah and Mark Levine on Sunday until 6:00 pm and Monday 4-8 pm. Memorial observance will also be at the home of Alan and Deborah Pransky on Monday, and will continue there on Tuesday and Wednesday. Remembrances may be made to The Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, Brookline, MA 02445 or Friends of the I.D.F., 1430 Broadway, New York, New York 10018.

of Needham, formerly of NYC and Atlanta, GA, on January 29, 2015. Beloved wife of the late Dr. Morton Bard. Devoted mother of Erica Bard Riley and Pamela Bard Richlin and her husband Dean. Cherished grandmother of Caleb Bard Riley, Jonathan Bard Riley, Eli Bard Richlin and his wife Sabrina Blum, Sara Bard Richlin, and Johanna Bard Richlin and her husband Gabriel Paquette. Dear great-grandmother of Dalia Grace Richlin and Calla Juliet Richlin. Loving sister of Sondra Frank and her husband Arnold. Sister-in-law of Leonard Bard and his wife Elaine, Ruth Bard Petkofsky and her late husband Lester, and Sharon Bard Rulf and her late husband Benjamin. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Services at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, (validated parking in the parking garage on Nessel Way), on Sunday, February 1, 2015, at 1:45 pm. Memorial observance will be held at the temple immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American Heart Association, 300 Fifth Ave., Suite 6, Waltham, MA 02451 or to a charity of choice.

Melvin Bravman of Waterstone at Wellesley Independent Living, formerly of Great Neck, NY died surrounded by his loving family,on January 28, 2015. Mel grew up in Dorchester, MA and graduated from Roxbury Memorial High School. He earned a degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University in the Naval V-12 program in 1946 and served proudly as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, the love of his life, Estelle (Dubrow) Bravman. Devoted father of Laurel Bravman Kaplan and her husband Robert, and Richard Bravman and his wife Debra. Mel was a devoted and attentive grandfather to his grandchildren: Julie Kaplan, Lindsey Kaplan, Nikki Kaplan, Jason Bravman, Rachel Bravman Blumenthal and her husband Neil, and his great-grandson Griffin Blumenthal. He shared a special bond with each of them. Dear brother of Sylvia Abrams, and Sumner Bravman and his wife Judy. Also survived by loving nieces and nephews. Mel was president of Dubrow and Bravman, manufacturer of children’s wear. He was an avid tennis player, enjoying both the camaraderie and the game. He was a man of the highest integrity, judgment, and a virtuous role model for his family. He was immensely proud of his family and fiercely loyal to them. Services at Sharon Memorial Chapel, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, on Sunday, February 1, 2015 at 2:00 pm. Following interment memorial observance will be at the home of Laurel and Robert Kaplan until 6:00 pm, and Monday 6-9 pm. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to Combined Jewish Philanthropies, 126 High St., Boston, MA,02110.

Bilsky, Lois R. (Dunn), of Framingham, on January 26, 2015. Beloved wife of the late Morton E. Bilsky. Devoted mother of Edward Bilsky and his wife Susan. Dear grandmother of Michela Peruzzi. Services in the Chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham Street, Sharon, MA, on Friday, January 30, 2015 at 12 Noon. Following services,  memorial observance will be at the home of Edward and Susan Bilsky, Friday only through 7:30 pm. Remembrances in her memory may be made to St. Patrick’s Manor, 863 Central St., Framingham, MA 01701.