Obituaries

Beth Hershenson- age 47 of  Rehoboth  ,she passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer  on January 19, 2012.Beloved companion of Alan Smith , Devoted mother of Allison, Heidi and Jared Gruber. Dear daughter of  Judy Hershenson and the late Jerry .Loving granddaughter of Lee Brezniak .Devoted sister of  Keith Hershenson.Dear  niece of  Claudia Brodsky and her husband David.Loving aunt to Julia and Abigail Hershenson Devoted cousin to Alex Brodsky. Services at  Congregation Agudas Achim 901 North Main  St. Attleboro on Sunday January 22, 2012 at 10:30 am.Following interment at  Sharon Memorial Park a memorial observance will be held at her residence until 8:00pm Sunday  and Monday thru Wednesday 2-4, 7-9pm .Memorial observance will continue at the home of her mother Judy Hershenson, Thursday  2-4, 7-9pm and Friday 1-4pm. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to Dana Farber Brigham and Womens Cancer Center at Faulkner Hospital Breast Center , 1153 Centre St. Jamaica Plain,MA 02130

Kant-Charlotte, of Wayland, formerly of Poughkeepsie, NY, on January 17, 2012.   Beloved wife of the late Dr. Arthur Kant (Saul Abraham Kantrowitz). Dear daughter of the late Nathan and Leah (Kaston) Kaplan. Devoted mother of Laurence, Deborah, and Amy, and  cherished mother-in-law of Dianne Bazell. Loving sister of Ann Murkoff and the late Alvin Kaplan. Services at Brezniak-Rodman Chapel, 1251 Washington St., (Corner of Chestnut St.) West Newton, on Friday, January 20 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Doctors Without Borders, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741, or Planned Parenthood, 1055 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215.

 Benatuil-Sherwin of Brockton passed away peacefully, January 17, 2012, at the VA Nursing home in Brockton. He was 80yrs old. Veteran of the U.S.Airforce. He served in Germany 1947-1949.Husband of the late Maria(Chiofolo)Benatuil, formerly of Brockton.Brother of Anita Woolf of Cape Cod.Father of Steven Benatuil of Hyde Park,Leo Benatuil of East Boston. Stepfather of Christine Soule of Hyde Park.Grandfather of the late Jarod Benatuil, formerly of Hyde Park,Adam Benatuil of Dedham,Brad Benatuil of East Boston,Alex Benatuil of New York City,Devene Benatuil of Florida,Joseph Doran of Avon,Mark Doran of Braintree,Kristen Doran of Quincy. He is also survived by several great grandchildren,nieces,great nieces and nephews.He was the cherished friend of MaryJane Castiglia. Services at Temple Beth Am, 871 North Main Street, Randolph on Friday, January 20 at 11:00 am. Remembrances may be made to The American Cancer Society, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA  01701.

Meyburg-Lee Denise (Stollerman), of Framingham, formerly of Ithaca, NY, born May 28, 1946 passed away on January 14, 2012. Dear daughter of Doctor Gene Stollerman, and the late Corynne M. Stollerman. Devoted mother of Jennifer Meyburg. Loving sister of John Stollerman and Anne DiZio. Loving sister-in-law of Rhonda Stollerman. Cherished aunt of Sarah DiZio and Corynne Stollerman.

Lee will be remembered as the fantastically whimsical lover of laughs, dirty jokes, clean jokes, and in-between jokes. She was an incredibly loving and supportive mother both to Jenny and Jenny’s partner, John Landrebe, a most caring and generous sister, a fiery woman and passionate friend, and all around phenomenal being. An avid game player, musical theater aficionado, talented visual artist, lovely singer and dancer, trivia buff and lover of lilacs and lily of the valley, she made the world a more beautiful place both through her spirit and her way of bringing nature to bloom.

Beyond her sense of humor she shared freely her generosity, her compassion, her sensitivity, her loyalty, and her meticulous care of those she loved, be they two-legged or four-legged.  A life-long educator, Lee received her Bachelor’s degree at Northwestern University and a Master in Education from SUNY Cortland. She approached her teaching craft with the same whimsy, humor, and compassion she brought to all aspects of life.

If you would like to contribute to a memorial gift, please send tributes under the name Lee Meyburg to The Cornell Plantations, 1 Plantations Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Donations will be used to name a tree in her honor which will be cared for in perpetuity.

Memorial service will be private. The family will be sitting shiva at the home of John and Rhonda Stollerman on Friday, January 20, 2012 from 1-4pm, Saturday from 4:30-8:00pm, and Sunday from 1-5pm.

Lottor-Sanford M. of Newton, on January 12, 2012. Beloved husband of the late Simonette (Knopp). Devoted father of Colette Lottor and her husband Richard Jacobi,Mark Lottor and Nicole Lottor. Adoring grandfather of Jeremy, Adrienne, Benjamin,Justin, Peter and Kyle. Loving uncle of Julie Knopp. Services at Temple Sinai, 25 Canton Street, Sharon on Monday, January 16 at 12 Noon. Memorial observance at his late residence, on Tuesday and Wednesday 4-8 pm. Remembrances may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 1311 Mamaroneck Ave.,White Plains, NY  10605, www.lls.org  or to Combined Jewish Philanthropies , 126 High St.,Boston,MA 02110, www.cjp.org .

Sojcher-Carol (Frymerman) of Leominster on January 7, 2012. A Holocaust survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Beloved wife of Leon Sojcher. Devoted mother of Stuart H. Sojcher, and Robin B. Sojcher and her husband Richard Luettgen. Dear grandmother of Shlomo. Services at Congregation Agudat Achim, 268 Washington St., Leominster, MA on Monday January 9, 2012 at 1:00 pm. Memorial observance will be at her late residence Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 3:30- 7:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Holocaust Museum 100 15th St SW, Washington, DC 20024.

Photos/Mike LovettRobert Shapiro ’52 and his wife, Valya ’61, met at Brandeis and served the university on many levels.

Robert Shapiro ’52, who was a member of Brandeis’ first graduating class and served as a longtime trustee at this university his father helped establish, died on Friday, Jan. 6, in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He was 81 and had been battling cancer.

The son of founding Trustee Abraham Shapiro, the younger Shapiro grew up with Brandeis – from student to alumnus to reunion organizer to donor to fundraiser to president’s councilor to fellow and, finally, to trustee in 1979.

Mr. Shapiro stayed close to the university through the years – both literally and figuratively. He lived just a few miles from Brandeis and, along with his wife, Valya (Kazes) Shapiro ’61, frequently visited campus for celebrations, get-togethers with students and faculty, meetings, events, openings, commencements and reunions.

“Bob was a man of unusually generous spirit,” Brandeis President Fred Lawrence said. “He and Valya have been great friends to Brandeis for so many years in so many ways.  He will be dearly missed.”

Mr. Shapiro received an honorary degree from Brandeis in 1992 and was presented the Alumni Association’s Service to Association Award in 1984 for his work as chair of the Alumni Annual Fund from 1979-82. He and his wife generously supported a number of initiatives, including construction of the Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex and the Robert and Valya Shapiro Endowment for Sephardic and East European Jewish Studies.

Fittingly, Mr. Shapiro also met his future wife through Brandeis. In 1961, his niece, Bettina Dorn ’61, introduced him to Ms. Kazes, a Wien International Scholarship Program student from Turkey. They met on a snowy January night, had their first date in February, and were married in June, six days after her graduation. Brandeis founding President Abram Sachar, a close friend of the Shapiro family, gave away the bride since her parents were unable to attend the wedding.

“Bob understood and was an articulate spokesperson concerning the values for which Brandeis stands,” said Malcolm Sherman, P ’83, chair of the Brandeis Board of Trustees. “He was a significant contributor to the emotional and intellectual life of the university.”

Mr. Shapiro first joined the Board of Trustees in 1979 and was a member of the university’s governing board until his death. He served on a number of trustee committees, including academic affairs, development, nominating and governance, students and enrollment, honorary degrees and audit.

Involvement with Brandeis was a family affair for the Shapiros. Mr. Shapiro’s seven siblings, all of whom preceded him in death, were connected with the university. His brother Jacob was a trustee, brother George served as a Brandeis fellow and sister Alice was a president’s councilor. Mr. Shapiro’s wife is a fellow of the university and serves on the board of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

“I am deeply saddened by Bob’s death,” said Nancy Winship, P’ ’10, P ’12, senior vice president of institutional advancement. “We worked closely together for 18 years, and I was always struck by Bob’s personal warmth and his deep dedication to his two families – the Shapiros and Brandeis. We will all miss him very much.”

Mr. Shapiro was president of Turn Key Living, an interior design firm that he founded with his wife. He was also a licensed marriage and family therapist, and served as a chaplain at Hebrew Senior Life. He was a principal with the family real estate business that his father started.

In addition to his support of Brandeis, Mr. Shapiro was a leader in the Boston Jewish and philanthropic communities. He served on the boards of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Temple Israel of Boston, the Boston Association for the Blind, and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association.

Along with his wife of 50 years, Mr. Shapiro leaves two sons, Bram, and his wife, Jennifer, of Brookline, and Steven and his wife, Kimberly, of Atlanta; and five grandchildren, Isak, Leyla, Sophie, Nola and Robert.

Funeral services will be held at Temple Israel of Boston, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, ( attendant  parking on the Riverway) on Monday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Baker Street Cemetery, West Roxbury. Shiva will be at his home on Monday from 5-9 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

SCHWARTZ, Eleanor (Glick) Of Sharon on Jan 5, 2012. Beloved wife of Joseph Schwartz, Devoted mother of Roberta Fishman and her husband Larry of Sharon, Dear grandmother of Michael and David. Loving sister of the late Dudley and Doris Glick. Eleanor contributed 38 years of compassionate service at Sharon high school, and her dedicated volunteering at the Sharon Council of Aging and Temple Israel. She will be missed by the community sorely. Services at Temple Israel, 125 Pond St, Sharon on Sunday January 8 at 1:30pm. Following the interment at Sharon Memorial Park, the family will be returing to Temple Israel, until, minyan at 7:30 p,m. They would invite friends to visit during that time. Also visitors are able to pay condolences at the Fishman home on Monday and Tuesday 2-4pm. Remembrances may be made to: The Rabbi’s Fund at Temple Israel, Sharon

MATTHEW SEIFER of Hull, MA celebrated 103 years of life

April 5,1908 – January 5, 2012 

Seifer-Matthew, of Hull on January 5, 2012. Beloved husband of Lillian (Wood) Seifer and the late Augusta (Fagin) Seifer. Devoted father of Joseph and his wife Ramona, Sandra Bonilla, and the late Richard Seifer and his surviving spouse Beverly. Dear grandfather of Amy Prychal, Michael Seifer, David Naterman, Randi Butter, Paul Seifer, Tammi Kiker, Jodi Dunlop, and Samantha and Richard Seifer. Matthew is also survived by many loving great grandchildren and loving great-great grandchildren. Loving brother of Joel and his wife Blanche, and the late Jack, and Charlotte (Arkie).

Referred to by his many colleagues as a living legend, Matthew Seifer worked 33 years for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics /Drug Enforcement Agency. In 2006, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association. Matthew graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy with a Pharmaceutical Chemist degree in 1930. He was married to Augusta (Gussie) Fagan for 47 years until her death.  He proudly served his country in World War ll even though he was 36 years old and had 3 children and could have been deferred. He served in the Navy as a Pharmacist Mate.

He lived at home in Hull, Mass. with his wife, of 24 years, Lillian (Wood) Seifer, until one month ago when his health deteriorated. Matthew Seifer spent his life serving the law enforcement community and his country, and giving his love and wisdom unconditionally to his fortunate family and friends.

We celebrate his life and all the blessings he had during his 103 years. 

Services at Brezniak-Rodman Chapel 1251 Washington St., (Corner of Chestnut St.)

W. Newton on Tuesday January 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Temple Beth Shalom, 600 Nantasket Ave., Hull, MA 02045