Obituaries

Debra Goldberg-of Marietta, GA, formerly of Newton, on November 3, 2014. Beloved wife of the late Robert. Devoted mother of  Jamie, Jodi, and the late Nancy Drooker and Marc Goldberg. Dear grandmother of Jennifer, Andrew, Matthew, Jake, Robbie, Chelle, Bruce, Robin and Heather. Great grandmother of Isabelle, Sydney, Landen and Gunnar. Graveside  service on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 2:00 pm at Mishkan Tefila Memorial Park, 2690  Centre St., West Roxbury, MA.

of Chestnut Hill, on November 2, 2014. Dear daughter of the late Joseph and Frances (Wolkovich) Tracey. Loving sister of Ralph Tracey and his wife Brenda of Brookline. Services at Pride of Jacob Cemetery, 350 Grove St., West Roxbury on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at 2:00 pm. Memorial observance will be at the home of Ralph and Brenda Tracey on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 from 2-4 & 6-8 pm. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Hebrew Senior Life, 1200 Centre St., Roslindale, MA 02131 or the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701. Late retired Boston Public School teacher.

of Belmont, on November 1, 2014. Beloved husband of the late Mildred (Tepper) Goodman. Devoted father of Daniel and Jonathan. Loving grandfather of Emma, Eliora, Seth, and Hannah. Services at the Baron Hirsh Cemetery, 1126 Richmond Ave., Staten Island, NY on Monday, November 3, 2014 at 1:00 pm.

of Newton, passed away on October 31, 2014 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She was the beloved wife of the late Alvin Jerome who passed away in 1987.

Born in Boston, daughter of the late William and Bess (Brown) Fredman, Barbara was raised in Dorchester.  She attended the Boston Public Schools and earned her BA degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  Barbara was employed as a docent at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for 15 years.  She enjoyed art and spending time with family and friends.

Barbara was the devoted mother of Peter Jerome of Salt Lake City, UT, Sarabeth Jerome of Marlboro, and the late William Jerome; cherished grandmother of Shannon Furlan, Jessica, Michael, and Andrew Jerome, and Becky Harding; and loving sister of Judith Feola and Sumner Fredman.

Services in the chapel at Sharon Memorial Park, 43 Dedham St., Sharon, on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 10:00 am. Memorial observance will be held at her late residence on Sunday and Monday, 4-7 pm.  In lieu of flowers, remembrances in her memory may be made to the Museum of Fine Arts, c/o Gallery Instructor Program, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115.

Kripke- Dr. Benjamin J. M.D., of Cambridge and Palm Beach Gardens, FL, formerly of Weston,on October 27, 2014. Beloved husband of Carol (Fink) Kripke. Devoted father of Jeffrey Kripke and his wife Alison, and Andrew Kripke and his wife Ellen. Loving grandfather of Alexa,Jonathan,Jessica and Joshua. Dear brother of Ann Bernstein Adler and Samuel Kripke. Devoted brother in law of Peter Fink and his wife Joan. Dr. Kripke was a graduate of Harvard University and Tufts University School of Medicine, with magna cum laude degrees from both institutions. Ben had a distinguished medical career serving as Professor and Chairman of Anesthesiology at Boston University School of Medicine as well as Director at Boston City Hospital. He had a professorship in Anesthesia at UCLA and USC School of Medicine. He retired as Professor Emeritus at Boston University and went on to have an active career in the field of pain management. Services at The Wilson Chapel, on the campus of The Andover-Newton Theological School, 234 Herrick Rd., Newton Centre, on Friday, October 31, 2014 at 12:00 noon. Following interment at Linwood Cemetery, Weston, a reception will be held  at the Marriott Hotel, Commonwealth Ave., Newton, MA. Contributions in Ben’s memory may be made to Lahey Cardiology Clinic, Lahey Hospital Medical Center, 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01805 Attn: Dr. Muqi Chaudhry.

Brecker, Esther D. (Waldman), of Brookline, on October 28, 2014. Beloved wife of the late Murray Brecker. Devoted mother of Joy Binah of Santa Cruz California, Sheryl Brecker and her partner Suzanne London of Gloucester. Loving grandmother of Ethan, Jillian, Micah and his wife Joanna, Arielle, Michael, Julie and her husband Brett. She was everyone’s Bubbe and a great- grand Bubbe to Joe. Dear sister of Shirley Silver, the late Morris Waldman and Elliot Waldman. Esther was involved in her family’s business, Waldman’s Candy Store and Delicatessen in Roxbury for her whole life and a volunteer at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for over 40 years. She was a member of Congregation Kehillath Israel for over 65 years and a regular guest at Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester. Service will be held at Congregation Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard St. Brookline, Friday, October 31 at 1:30 pm, followed by shiva in the 3rd floor community room at 1550 Beacon St., Brookline. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Esther’s memory may be made to American Jewish World Service, 45 West 36th St, New York, NY 10018.  There will be a void in the lives of all who knew and loved Queen Esther.

Paul Alan Sorkin- of Newton, passed away peacefully at his home on October 27, 2014, surrounded by family members. Mr. Sorkin is survived by Sandra Zudick Sorkin, his loving wife for over 45 years. He was the proud father of David Sorkin and his wife, Eve, of Short Hills, NJ, and the adoring Papa of Michael, Amie, and Joseph Sorkin, who brought much joy to his life. Paul was the devoted brother of Linda Sorkin of Encinitas, CA, and the late Helen Brenner of Buffalo Grove, IL. He was the son of the late Rubin and Evelyn Sorkin. Paul grew up in Hull, MA, where he was a member of the first graduating class of Hull High School in 1960. He attended Brown University and Boston University, where he earned a degree in English Literature. He spent his professional years in the electrical industry, most notably as president of Electric Specialty & Supply Company in Boston, MA. Services at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Newton, MA, on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 10:00am. Burial will be at Mount Freedom Hebrew Cemetery in Randolph, New Jersey on Thursday, October 30 at 10:30am. Shiva to be held Thursday until 8pm, Saturday 7-9pm, and Sunday 1-4 & 6-8pm at the home of David and Eve Sorkin in Short Hills, NJ, and will continue Monday  7-9pm and Tuesday  2-4 &  7-9pm at the home of the late Mr. Sorkin in Newton, MA. Donations in Paul’s memory may be made to Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, 126 High Street, Boston, MA, 02110, or The Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod, 31 Frank E. Hicks Drive, Mashpee, MA 02649.

of Westlake Village, CA, formerly of Newton, on October 25, 2014. Beloved wife of the late Milton Brightman and Dr. David Honick. Devoted mother of Jerry Brightman and his wife Nancy of NH, Alan Brightman and his wife Melissa of NY, and Richard Brightman and his wife Allison of CA. Loving grandmother of Michael, Erica, Mia, Jesse, Alex, Alyssa, Deborah, Matthew, and Maely. Dear great-grandmother of Ellie. Services at Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, 350 Grove St., West Roxbury, Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Hebrew Senior Life, 1200 Centre St., Roslindale, MA 02131.

BRICK, DONALD B.

Of Burlington, formerly of Lexington, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on October 22, 2014.    He was the beloved husband of Phyllis Brick, also of Burlington, for 62 years.  Don was the beloved father of James Brick and his wife Wendy, Susan Weinbaum and her husband Dan Weinbaum, and Howard Brick and his wife Jill Smilow.  He was the beloved grandfather of his grandchildren Jaclyn Gutierrez and her husband Antonio Gutierrez, Arielle Brick, Elana Weinbaum, Kayley Weinbaum, Julia Weinbaum, Jeremy Brick and Eli Brick.  Don leaves behind an extended family of cousins in Boston, New York, and Florida. 

Born in Brooklyn, NY on October 1, 1927 and raised in Patterson, NJ, Don came to Boston after serving in the US Army to attend Harvard University in 1946 and never left. He graduated from Harvard with a B.A. in Applied Physics in 1950, received a Master of Sciences from Harvard, and his PhD in Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics from Harvard in 1956. 

After completing his studies, Don enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an engineer, scientist, entrepreneur, senior official in the Federal government, and consultant right up to the time of his death.  He was granted multiple patents, published many articles in scientific journals, and was a Fellow of the IEEE and a Member of Sigma Xi, an engineering sciences honor society. He had over 65 years of experience and expertise in artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, and command-and-control research, design, and marketing.  From 1956 to 1965, Don worked as a Senior Scientist at GTE Sylvania.  Subsequently, he co-founded and served as CEO of several information technology and computer companies, including IRA Systems, one of the first commercial cathode ray technology computer companies, and Infoton.  He served as Executive Vice-President of Addressagraph Multigraph.  For eight years, Don was a Technical Director of the United States Air Force.  In that capacity, he oversaw development of radar systems and the command-and-control-infrastructure of the Air Force. He next consulted with many companies, including Draper Labs and Alphatec.   Over the last 15 years of his career until his death, Don worked on and was recognized as one of the leading experts on optical character recognition technology and its use in license plate recognition and cargo container reading systems across the United States.  In 2014, he was featured in the book Men Still at Work: Professionals Over Sixty and on the Job by Elizabeth F. Fidler.  When asked by the author why he was still working at the age of 86, Don responded “I have things to do so I don’t have to look for things to do.”

Don was a dedicated, life-long philanthropist and leader of the Jewish community of Boston.  He was a founding member of Temple Emunah and Temple Isaiah in Lexington.  He held many leadership positions in the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, was an Honorary Trustee, and raised money for the organization for over 50 years.  He also served in leadership positions and on the Board of Directors of the American Technion Society.  In these positions, he participated in many missions to Israel.

Don enjoyed spending time with his family and friends on Cape Cod, where he and his wife had a home in New Seabury for almost 40 years, and in Vermont where he skied with his family and friends at Mount Snow for many years.  Don was an avid boatsman, skier, tennis player, biker, and runner.  He loved classical music, listening to the Boston Symphony at Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood.  To his family and friends he was known for his ever present sense of humor; with a twinkle in his eye, he enjoyed nothing more than sharing a joke, pun, or one of his many stories. He was an eternal optimist and will be missed by those who knew and loved him.

Funeral services will take place at Temple Emunah in Lexington at 1:00 on Sunday, October 26, 2014, Shiva will be at the home of Howard Brick and Jill Smilow, Sunday 6-9 PM and Monday, 2-4 PM and 6-9 PM, and at the home of Phyllis Brick, Tuesday, 2-4 PM and 6-9 PM. Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, 126 High Street, #2, Boston, MA 02110 or Temple Emunah, 9 Piper Road, Lexington, MA 02421.         

Alvin Shapiro, formerly of  Needham, on October 23, 2014. Beloved husband of Millie (Grossman) Shapiro. Dear son of the late Myer and Ann (Fishbein) Shapiro. Devoted father of Marc Shapiro and his wife Gail O’Brien, Bruce Shapiro and his wife Kim, Todd Shapiro and his wife Debbie. Dear grandfather of Tyler, Russell, Sydney, Chandler, Spencer, Matthew and Madison. Dear brother- in- law of Lynda and Lenny Glassman. Devoted  brother of the late Marsha Aaron. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Services at Temple Sinai, 25 Canton St., Sharon, on Sunday,October 26, 2014 at 2:00 pm. Interment at Sharon Memorial Park. Shiva will be announced at services. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6^th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445 or Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Office of Development, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215.