Gaines-Lauren R. of Maynard, on April 16, 2011. Beloved daughter of David Gaines and the late Catherine (Newton). Loving sister of Jeffrey Gaines and his wife Anne Nelsen. Services at the Brezniak-Rodman Chapel, 1251 Washington St. (Corner of Chestnut St.) West Newton),on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 10 am. Remembrances may be made to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, P.O. Box 706143, Cincinnati, OH 45270-6143.
Max Rosen- Age 90 , of Wrentham, MA. , on Friday April 15, 2011. Beloved son of the late Simon and Lena. Dear brother of Helen Gorach and her husband David of Belmont. Graveside services at Lindwood Memorial Park , 490 North St. Randolph on Sunday April 17, 2011 at 11:00 am.See directions on our website for Lindwood Memorial Park
SHULMAN, James Of Brookline, on April 13, 2011. The family and friends of James Shulman, devoted husband to the late Beatrice Policoff Shulman, and loving partner to Virginia Soble, mourn the loss of a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. Jim was a life long activist in the Jewish Community, and a great friend to Israel. He was an early member of the West End House, the Boston Settlement House that taught new immigrants how to become American Citizens. (“Where else were we to learn?”, he often said. “Our fathers may have been well educated, but how much time could a shaychet from Lithuania, who was trying to build a more relevant business in America, actually spare to spend with his kids? And mama? Too busy raising 5 children.”) After graduating Tufts and the Harvard ‘B’ school, Jim became a dedicated fundraiser for Israel’s Bond Drives, an active member and Chairman of the Board of Temple Emanuel in Newton, and a supporter of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services. A progressive thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit, Jim co-founded the New England-Israel Chamber of Commerce and pursued a wide variety of personal, business and non-profit interests. A C.P.A. with a varied business career which included forays into general finance, financial brokerage and consulting, Jim chucked it all in June, 1964, to pursue the leisure of the theory class by enrolling as a candidate in the Doctoral Program at Harvard Business School. Upon graduation, he assumed an appointment as Associate Professor at Northeastern University, followed by a professorship at MIT’s Sloan School; the Imede School of International Business in Lausanne, Switzerland; the University of Miami; and Florida Atlantic University. We will remember everything about Jim, but especially his love of his family; his commitment to life-long education; our family birthday trips to Israel and Jamaica; his love of golf and skiing that continued until his 90th birthday, and his fondness for telling a good Jewish joke. Jim was the family musician, and spent many hours improvising at the piano, playing the pump organ, and enjoying a variety of string instruments including the banjo, the mandolin, and the violin. He is survived by his partner Penny Soble, his Sister Adora Guggenheim, his son Stan Shulman and his partner Janet Kahan, his daughter Enid Shulman, his grandchildren Joshua Shulman and his wife Louise Tolzmann, Gilly Strauss, Ariel Strauss and Sarah Strauss and her husband Michael Delaney. Dear uncle of Steve Kaye and Barbara Wexler, Steve and Phyllis Guggenheim and his 4 fabulous great grandchildren: Elijah, Ezra, Liam and Lucy. Jim’s family extends their affection and appreciation to Mary Hodge, for the love, patience & tenderness she has shared with our dad these last years. Following a private graveside funeral on Friday, April 15, shiva will be held at the home of his son Stan Shulman and Janet Kahan, Brookline, today from 1:30-4:30 pm & on Sunday from 3 to 9 pm. Remembrances may be made to Temple Beth Zion, 1566 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446; or to the Lenny Zakim Fund, C/O DLA Piper, 33 Arch St. 26th flr Boston MA 0211
ROSS, Arlene Silverman Formerly of Boston, MA and Portsmouth, NH, passed away in Boca Raton, FL on April 6, 2011. Arlene was born on June 25, 1924 in Portsmouth, NH to the late Morris Silverman and Ida Goodman Silverman. She was predeceased by her husband, Marshall Ross, sister Dorothy Freedman, and brothers Harold and Ralph Silverman. Arlene was a graduate of Portsmouth High School and Simmons College in Boston. She had a long and successful business career as a corporate buyer for Filenes and T.J. Maxx which honored her upon her retirement. Arlene is survived by stepdaughters Susan Ross and Haley Dahlquist, sisters-in-law Sonia Ellman and Renee Silverman, nephew Richard Silverman, nieces Jane Freedman and Jane Turner, many great-nieces and nephews and step-grandchildren and a host of devoted friends. Contributions in Arlene’s memory may be made to: Morris and Ida Silverman Endowment Fund, Temple Israel 200 State St, Portsmouth NH 03801.
Jason Lew, Of Bourne on April 8, 2011. Beloved fiance of Donna Carr, dear son of Annette Lew of Randolph and the late Morris Lew. Devoted father of David Lew and his wife Rebecca of Atlanta GA., Heather Lew of LA, CA, Adam Lew of Malden. Adored Bumpa of Connor Lew and Carson Lew. Services at Temple Beth Am, 871 North Main St., Randolph on Mon., April 11 at 1 p.m. Following interment at Sharon Memorial Park, Sharon, memorial observance will be at the home of Annette Lew through Friday sundown. Remembrances may be made to Temple Beth Am, Randolph
Parker- Fannie A. (Schwartz) of Quincy, formerly of Ayer on April 7, 2011. Loving sister of Nathan Schwartz of Clinton and the late Joseph Schwartz, Mildred Litvin, Max Schwartz and Annie Farber. Graveside services will be held at the Temple Beth El Cemetery, Chelmsford on Sunday, April 10 at 1:00 pm. Remembrances may be made to a charity of your choice.
Stern-Helen (Hite) of Framingham, formerly of Mattapan on April 7, 2011. Beloved wife of the late William Stern. Devoted mother of Audrey Ghidaleson and her husband Glenn of Framingham and Cheryl Ouellette and her husband Barry of Framingham. Dear grandmother of Joanna Ouellette of Boston and Michael Ouellette and his wife Naomi of Los Angeles, CA. Loving sister of Lillian Lampert of Weston. Graveside services at the Kaminker Cemetery, 776 Baker St. West Roxbury on Sunday, April 10 at 11 am. Memorial observance will be at the home of Cheryl and Barry Ouellette on Sunday until 9 pm and Monday, 1-5, 7-9 pm. Remembrances may be made to Paralyzed Vets of America, 801 Eighteenth St. N.W., Washington,DC 20006
When Joe Press arrived at Cushing Hospital in 1945, the Army Air Corpsman, paralyzed in a diving accident in France, was told he might live another five years.
Instead, he launched an import-export business from his hospital bed and enriched his adopted hometown in countless ways before his death Wednesday at age 95.
“If there was a theme for what people could learn from his life, it would be not to let adversity get you down,” John Kahn, a former selectman and longtime friend, said of Press. “The wheelchair was the first thing you noticed and the first thing you forgot. It neither confined him nor defined him.”
Press “inspired me and so many others to do what’s right and what’s needed, even if those paths are filled with obstacles,” said Marc Jacobs, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest. “Joe has been my hero.”
Press was a strong financial supporter of Jewish Family Services but also invested his time in the organization, including teaching English as a second language to Russian and Latin American immigrants.
“He was a great teacher (who) became my friend, then became my client,” said Justo Rasareo, a home health aide. As well as teaching him the language, “he gave me a lot of good values. I learned a lot of things from his friendship, from the work he was doing.
“Mr. Press was a very important person,” and yet he was “the most humble person I’ve ever known.”
“Everyone’s dad is amazing,” said daughter Addy Press, but “my dad was one of those people who enriched someone’s life just by an encounter with them. He was just the most positive person you could encounter. He completely embraced life.”
“So much of what I was able to accomplish I owe to Cushing Hospital,” Joe Press said at a 2004 ceremony at the former hospital site.
He spent six years at the veterans hospital and made so many friends in the community he decided to make Framingham his home.
He met his wife, Lucy, when she answered an advertisement he placed for a housekeeper. They were married for more than 40 years.
“She was by his side through it all,” said Addy Press. “They did it all together.”
He ran a successful mail-order business, Chairborn Associates, in a time when “there wasn’t much accommodation for handicaps,” said his daughter, and “part and parcel of his success (was making sure) a significant part went to charity.”
He was interested in education for all, and looked for opportunities to help, she said. “He appreciated the fact that sometimes people need an extra hand to accomplish wonderful things.”
He supported the Girls for Success program of the Haifa Foundation in Israel as well as programs at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Framingham, sponsored scholarships at area high schools and helped a Cambodian family who came to the United States to escape the Khmer Rouge.
In 2006, the Lucy and Joe Food Pantry was established to honor the family’s long tradition of giving, inspired by the example of Press’ Russian immigrant parents in New Haven, Conn.
“From the moment in his childhood that Joe’s mom had him deliver bread to those without food and treat them with dignity, Joe cared about others in need,” Jacobs said.
Press cared about treating all people with dignity, including the German prisoners of war who did maintenance and housekeeping chores at Cushing Hospital.
“He didn’t like that some of the patients talked badly to the Germans,” said Nick Paganella, a longtime veterans activist who worked with Press for the Cushing commemoration in 2004.
Press helped form the Framingham Interfaith Council in 1977.
“He was a remarkable man,” said Wayland resident Gil Aliber, who was one of the regulars at Press’ weekly Wednesday discussion groups, and, even into his 90s, “he always wanted to learn.”
“He had a very rich life,” said Addy Press.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Press leaves his grandchildren, Noah Isaac Soilson and Rebecca Kate Soilson. He took part in Rebecca’s recent bat mitzvah.
A funeral service will be held today at noon at Temple Beth Sholom, 50 Pamela Road.
Donations in his memory may be made to Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, 475 Franklin St., Suite 101, Framingham 01702; Friends of Yad Sarah, 450 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; or the Temple Beth Sholom Rabbi’s Fund.
Anne (Baskin)Gardner, Of Newton and Boynton Beach, Florida, on Sat., April 2, age 89. Beloved wife of the late Arnold Gardner and Lewis Baskin. Devoted mother of Jay Gardner and late wife Ardelle, Steven Gardner, Paul Gardner and his wife Kim, Ellen Gardner Harris and her husband Jay. Cherished grandmother of Scott Gardner, Lee Gardner, Jodi Harris Beaulac, Alyssa Harris, Jeffrey Gardner, Kate Gardner, and Susan Gardner. Great grandmother of Fallon Gardner, Hunter Beaulac and Ryder Beaulac. Graveside funeral services will take place on Monday, April 4, 2011 at 11:45 am at Sharon Memorial Park. Memorial Observance following the burial at Nahanton Woods, 210 Nahanton Street, Newton until 4 pm and from 7-9 pm, Tuesday 1-3 pm and 7-9 pm. Expressions of sympathy in her memory maybe made to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington Street, Suite 300, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
American impressionist Harold Rotenberg spent many summers in Rockport.
With a hand he believed was guided by God, Harold Rotenberg painted canvases that gave new life to the spectrum of colors he admired in landscapes around the world.
From the rocky coast of Quebec to a hillside village in Israel to a cove in Rockport, where he spent many summers, Mr. Rotenberg painted scenes that formed a visual diary of international journeys that continued even after he turned 100. The subtlety of light, and its absence, spoke to him.
“Shadows,’’ he told the Globe in 1998, “are as important as the bass tones on a piano.’’
Mr. Rotenberg, an American impressionist whose work is part of the collections at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Israeli Parliament building, died in his sleep April 2 in his Winter Park, Fla., home. He was 105, and until recently his health was so good that his physician cleared him to travel once more to Israel.
“His art was really about a very particular brush stroke that is identifiable throughout his career,’’ said his granddaughter Abigail Ross Goodman of Cambridge. “He was tremendously interested in light and landscape and how you could capture the essence of a moment through its light and the play of that light on the landscape.’’
Generous with the paint he applied, Mr. Rotenberg created canvases that provided an aesthetic experience as tactile as it was visual.
“The texture,’’ he mused as he ran his fingertips over a painting in a video, recorded just before he turned 104, that is posted on www.growingbolder.com. “I’m interested in what it feels like.’’
Never one to linger in his studio, Mr. Rotenberg traveled the world looking for subjects. He considered his paintings adventures and thought that standing in front of a scene as he committed it to canvas was an integral part of creativity.
“For me, each painting has to be a new experience,’’ he told American Artist magazine. “I can’t cook up things in a studio. I work on the spot and like to feel the challenge of the subject. I need to be fired up and inspired.’’
He also needed to feel the presence of the divine.
“The most amazing thing about my father was that he had such great faith in God,’’ said his son, Jon of Brookline.
In the 1998 interview with the Globe, Mr. Rotenberg said simply: “God is so good. I thank him every day, every minute. He pours in atmosphere.’’
Born in Attleboro, Mr. Rotenberg was the youngest of eight children. His father was a tailor, an artist with cloth, Mr. Rotenberg told interviewers.
Mr. Rotenberg tried his hand at painting after seeing an older brother create sculptures from female figure models, an appealing art subject for an adolescent boy. At 19, not long after graduating from high school in Attleboro, he traveled to the Middle East and Europe for months with his parents and studied art in Jerusalem.
Over the next dozen years, he also trained in Boston, Paris, and Austria, and in the decades that followed he returned often to Paris and spent months at a time in Israel. He studied at the Museum School in Boston, at the Académie Julian and the Académie de la Grand Chaumière in Paris, and the Kunst academy in Austria.
He also taught in Boston at the Museum School and the School of Practical Arts, and in settlement houses that helped immigrants adjust to life in this country, such as Hecht House in Dorchester.
As much as possible, though, he supported his family by painting and indulging his wanderlust, traveling to Mexico and Morocco, Japan and Europe.
“He had this hunger to discover things different from him,’’ his granddaughter said. “He wanted to know different people, experience different cultures. He had an appetite to know the world, and I think that curiosity and that passion gave him the lease on life he had for so long.’’
Everywhere he went, Mr. Rotenberg sought creative sustenance outside in the elements, sunshine or storm.
“I went to nature because I was looking for the accidental, the unusual,’’ he told the Boston Herald in 1995. “I never sat in a studio. I went outdoors where there was rain or heat or sunlight pouring down on you.’’
The experience, he said, was always spiritual.
“I am working with God when I paint,’’ he told the Herald. “I talk to God with my paintbrush.’’
Mr. Rotenberg’s first marriage, to Fay Amgott, ended in divorce.
In 1969, he married Charlotte Ettinger, and in the growingbolder.com video he said of an early portrait he painted of her, “She looks like Elizabeth Taylor.’’
She became his companion on his travels, too, and got to see up close the joy he felt, brush in hand.
“When he paints, he smiles,’’ she said in the video.
“Relationships were so important to him,’’ his granddaughter said. “He cared so much about the people he came in contact with, and he maintained an aura of peacefulness that was very comforting.’’
His daughter Judi Rotenberg Ross Zuker of Newton, who used to sell her father’s paintings at a Newbury Street gallery she formerly owned, said his enthusiasm for a life that had stretched for so many years seemed to almost overshadow his artistic accomplishments at times.
“People are always so fascinated by his life and his personality and the presence of him,’’ she said. “Sometimes his great art took second place to his great personage. With a lesser man, they would have focused more on his fabulous artwork.’’
In addition to his wife, son, daughter, and granddaughter, Mr. Rotenberg leaves another daughter, Jane R. Moss of Boston; two stepdaughters, Audrey Lentz of Winter Park, Fla., and Janis Bear of New York City; four other grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and three step-great-grandchildren.
A service has been held for Mr. Rotenberg, who was buried in Agudas Achim Cemetery in Attleboro.
“He never thought like an old man, he thought like a young person,’’ his son said. “Nine days before he died, I had dinner and a beer with him.’’
Mr. Rotenberg never took for granted the blessing of longevity.
“When I’m gone, I will miss all of this,’’ he said in the 1998 Globe interview with a sweep of his hand, as if to include everything he had ever encountered. The desire to keep creating was such that “sometimes I wake up at night and just paint pictures.’’
Asked in the growingbolder.com video what he wanted for his upcoming birthday, Mr. Rotenberg named only one gift: “Another day.