Obituaries

Maslow, Joan B, formerly of Florida and Cape Cod, passed away on Feb 2, 2024 at age 92.

Joan was predeceased by her husband Alan, and by her parents, George and Pauline Palais.  Joan is survived by her daughter Lori Paul, and her husband Bob, and by her sons Paul and Jonathan, and Jonathan’s wife Shana.  She also leaves her grandchildren Susan and husband David, Samantha and husband Kenny, Tim and companion Mallory, Zachary, Kayla and Lindsey, as well as 5 great grandchildren.

Joan spent the last few years at Waterstone of Wellesley where she made many friends.  We would like to thank her aide Genevieve, and all the hospice workers and staff at Waterstone.  Burial will be private.

Bob Kutner, age 72, of Wayland, formerly of Auburndale and Plymouth, passed away on January 31, 2024. Bob was the beloved husband of Lenna (Boroff) Kutner and the devoted father of Daniel Kutner. He also leaves his brother Richard Kutner and wife Susan of San Marcos, CA, his sister Janet Kutner of Wayland, niece Lindsay Talley, her husband Eric and their sons, niece Lauren Ogden, her husband Tobias and their daughter.

Bob had been a partner in the law firm of Casner & Edwards for over 30 years, retiring in 2017 from his practice of professional liability and real estate-related litigation. He grew up in Newark and Wilmington, Delaware, son of the late Abraham and Dorothy Kutner.  Falling in love with the Boston area while attending Harvard University, Bob returned to the city after obtaining his degree from Columbia Law School, settling first in Brighton and then in Newton with Lenna.

Bob was an avid sports fan with a passion for Boston teams, which he shared and nurtured in his son Dan. He also loved travel, and over the course of his life visited many far-reaching corners of the world. In later years he and Lenna purchased a lakeside summer home in Plymouth and enjoyed the more serene lifestyle of boating and entertaining friends.

Bob continuously amazed and inspired family, friends and colleagues with his resilience and determination to live life fully in the face of 28 years of medical challenges.

Condolence calls may be made at the home of Lenna Kutner on Friday, February 2nd from 4pm to 8pm. A celebration of life is being planned for a date in late May. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Bob’s memory to support cancer research and patient care at:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via dana-farber.org/gift.

Kaplan, Jerome “Jerry” of Newton, MA formerly, of Philadelphia, PA passed away January 30, 2024 at the age of 97. Beloved husband of the late Edith (Jaffy) Kaplan. Devoted father of Paul Kaplan and his wife Lisa Rothstein of Auburndale (Newton), MA. Cherished grandfather of Isabel and Zachary Kaplan. Loving brother of the late Raymond Kaplan.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Jerry’s memory may be made to the Jewish Community Relations Council of Philadelphia or the American Civil Liberties Union.

Elaine Gregerman, died Monday, January 29, 2024, in Plantation, Florida.

Those of us who loved Elaine Gregerman struggle to accept her loss. She was a genuinely kind and caring woman who reached out to family, friends, and even strangers when she felt their need. Even as her health declined, Elaine was always looking to soothe others.

A graduate of Brookline High School class of 1960, Elaine met and married Arthur Gregerman. They had one son, Adam, whom they adored, and they eventually settled in Hollywood, Florida. Elaine was a woman with a flare for decorating and a great sense of style, and so it is no surprise that she had much success working for Rooms to Go, a well-known furniture store. With her gregarious personality, she was often the top salesperson and was beloved by fellow employees and customers (many who became friends).

She was friendly and outgoing, and many were charmed by her magnetic personality. She loved animals and admired every furry creature. In later years she volunteered at numerous animal shelters.

Her greatest love was for Adam, his wife Rahel, and their two children Ezra and Aviva. She enjoyed them and savored every moment spent with them. She was fortunate to get to be with them in Philadelphia and Florida, most recently at Aviva’s bat mitzvah.

She leaves behind a brother Ken Crystal, whom she adored, and a sister-in-law Anne Crystal, who she viewed as a sister, as well as nieces Maura Maziya Crystal and Debra Crystal. She was a loving aunt to Maura and great-aunt to her three children Harrison, Maya, and Inna.

Always strong but also gentle and full of generosity, Elaine cared greatly for her family and for society, and she was wonderful at making friends. Her love for and commitment to others were deeply admirable.

Graveside Service at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, MA, on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 11:45 am.

May her memory be a blessing.

Professor Lawrence L. Langer, 94, of Wellesley, Mass., died peacefully on January 29, 2024 at home where he had been in hospice for several months after a diagnosis of cancer. He was Professor of English Emeritus at Simmons University in Boston.

Langer was a preeminent scholar of the Holocaust and influenced generations of Holocaust educators and researchers. He believed that the testimony of witnesses and the unflinching imagination of literary and visual artists are essential pathways to understanding one of the darkest episodes in the twentieth century. He passionately resisted efforts to deflect attention from the atrocities of the Holocaust in favor of the “uplifting” stories of resistance and rescue of European Jews.

Larry was born on June 20, 1929 in New York City, the eldest child of Irving Langer, an Ellis Island clerk and postman, and Esther (Strauss). Larry grew up and attended school in the Bronx, before enrolling at City College of New York in 1947. In his first year at City College, Larry met his sweetheart Sondra “Sandy” (Weinstein) on the boardwalk in Far Rockaway, N.Y. They married three years later in Brooklyn, N.Y. Last February, they celebrated their seventy-second wedding anniversary. Upon graduation in 1951, Larry and Sandy moved to Cambridge, Mass. where Larry earned a PhD in American Literature at Harvard University in 1961.

Larry began teaching American Literature at Simmons College in 1958, where he taught until 1992. His initial encounter with the Holocaust occurred in 1955, when on a trip to Europe he visited the Dachau concentration camp.  But his career choice was cemented during his year as Fulbright Professor of American Literature at the University of Graz in Austria, when in 1964 he visited Mauthausen concentration camp and the deathcamp at Auschwitz/Birkenau.  In both instances he was the sole visitor to the site and, standing on the terrain of the largest Jewish “cemetery” in the world, he asked himself for the first time whether it was possible to find a language to describe the crimes that unfolded there.  After returning to Simmons, he inaugurated in 1965 the first course on Holocaust literature to be taught at an American college or university, initially called “The Literature of Atrocity.”  As a result of this experience, during a sabbatical year in Germany in 1968-69, he wrote his first book, The Holocaust and the Literary Imagination (1976), which was one of three finalists for the National Book Award.  Since then, he has published eight more books on Holocaust themes. His 1991 book Holocaust Testimonies: The Ruins of Memory won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism and was named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Sunday Book Review. It was also listed in the 100^th Anniversary Edition of The Times Book Review as one of fifteen titles “of particular permanent interest.”  He was also the editor of Art from the Ashes: A Holocaust Anthology, published by Oxford University Press in 1995.

Professor Langer worked in collaboration with many organizations including the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University, Facing History and Ourselves and, most recently, The Pucker Gallery in Boston and artist Samuel Bak. At the Fortunoff Archive, he took testimony from many survivors and watched hundreds more. Larry’s groundbreaking exploration of survivor testimony compelled him to coin new words and phrases to describe the unthinkable, including “choiceless choice” and “afterdeath,” finding existing language to be inadequate.  Following his retirement in 1992, he continued working and writing and forged a partnership with his friend Samuel Bak, a painter and Holocaust survivor, whose imagery sought to challenge the task of finding spiritual and intellectual comfort in a disordered post-Holocaust world. The Pucker Gallery published 9 compilations of essays interpreting the abundant works of the artist, which combine critical commentary and interpretation with Bak’s paintings.

In 2022, Larry published his last two books, The Afterdeath of the Holocaust, and Hierarchy and Mutuality in Paradise Lost, Moby-Dick and The Brothers Karamazov, his only non-Holocaust related work. Larry dedicated each of his books to his beloved wife, Sandy, and to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Larry was a highly decorated scholar, receiving fellowships and scholar-in-residence appointments from the National Endowment for the Humanities; the US Holocaust Research Center of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Oxford Center for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, in Oxford, England; and the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy. Larry was awarded honorary degrees from Simmons College in 1996, from Hebrew Union College in 2000, and from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2002. In 2016, Langer received The Holocaust Educational Foundation’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Holocaust Studies. He received the Eternal Flame Award at the 53^rd Annual Scholars Conference on the Holocaust and the Churches in 2023. The City University of New York will award Larry an honorary degree posthumously at its commencement ceremony this May.

Larry’s love of teaching and learning was lifelong. He adored collaborating with his ever-growing collection of colleagues and mentees. While his work was celebrated and immense, Larry was most proud of his wife, his children, and his grand- and great-grandchildren. His serious work was always well-balanced by his endless laughter, days working in his garden, enjoying classical music, and summers at his home in Wellfleet, Mass.

Larry was preceded in death by his sister, Nancy Winthrop (Jessie); and his parents. Survivors include his loving wife, Sandy; his son Andy Langowitz (Nan) of Wellesley, Mass.; his daughter, Ellen Lasri (Nissim) of Natick, Mass.; five grandchildren, Noah Langowitz (Monikah Schuschu) of Framingham, Mass.; Tamar Jenkins (George) of West Newton, Mass.; Emily Langowitz (Meaghan Kramer) of Phoenix, Ariz.; David Lasri of Framingham, Mass.; Joshua Langowells (Caroline) of Somerville, Mass.; and three great-grandchildren, Danny, Maya, and Addy. The family is grateful to Good Shepherd Community Care hospice for their care and support.

Funeral Service on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 11:00 at Temple Beth Elohim 10 Bethel Rd. Wellesley, MA.

Shiva will be at his late residence on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Memorial contributions may be made to the Boston Chamber Music Society or Good Shepherd Community Care.

ENDLAR, Stephen P.

A devoted family man, Stephen died peacefully on January 25, 2024. He was 88 years old.

Stephen was born March 17, 1935 in Brookline, MA to Lester and Josephine Endlar. He and his brother, Richard, grew up in Brookline in a happy, active household.  He made life-long friendships at Shady Hill School, Milton Academy and Harvard University. After graduation in 1956, Steve married the love of his life, Alberta (Cohen) Endlar in 1957.  He had a 50 year career in wealth management at GH Walker, Abraham & Sons, Lehman Brothers, Smith Barney, and Moors and Cabot.  During his younger years, he could be found playing squash after work at the Harvard Club.

Steve was happiest gathering the people he loved around his favorite pastimes, for a meal or for a holiday.  He had a great love of the outdoors and traveled the world to ski and golf with family and friends.  In retirement, during the summer, he could be found playing golf or meeting grandchildren at Belmont Country Club.  In the winter, he spent many years hosting the whole family at his home in Sugarbush, VT where all four grandchildren learned to ski – a gift they will have forever.

As a parent and grandparent, he spent many years as an avid family supporter at a myriad of rinks, fields, courts and courses.  As a parent at the Skating Club of Boston, he was always at the rink and was known for hosting great parties after ICE CHIPS for his daughters. When his grandchildren arrived and played competitive sports, he and Alberta never missed a soccer, lacrosse, squash, baseball or hockey game – rain or shine.

In addition to his beloved wife, Alberta, Steve is survived by his brother, Richard Endlar; daughters, Leslie (Richard) Zetlin and Laurie (Michael) Lee; four grandchildren, Derek (Renee) Zetlin, Samantha (Joe) Fruci, Jessica Lee, and Jeffrey Lee; and 3 great grandchildren, Palmer & Sloane Zetlin and Zachary Fruci.  He will be missed by everyone.

Funeral services will be private.  Shiva will be observed at Belmont Country Club on Sunday January 28th from 1:30-4:30pm.  Minyan will be at 3:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation by check to the Belmont Fireman’s Relief Association PO BOX 79222, Belmont, MA 02478.

Deborah Barrett April 28, 1947 – January 24, 2024
Deborah Barret, 76, of Brighton MA passed away peacefully at the Care Dimensions
Hospice House on January 24, 2024, of cancer. Her son Randy was by her side.
Deborah is survived by her two sons, Randy Barrett and Jayme Fishman and his wife
Gretchen and three grandchildren, Lily, Shayna, and Evan.
Deborah had many roles and interests throughout her lifetime, first as a business owner
and craftsman, later as a college English professor and mentor, and as a hobbyist
photographer, soap maker and gardener, and wife, mother, and grandmother. She had a
great love of swimming, biking, reading, playing Mah Jong, and- in earlier days- dancing
the Lindy.
She earned a master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College, and then a second
master’s in teaching English as a Second Language when she discovered her passion
for working with international and immigrant students. In her 20-year career at Bunker
Hill Community College she supported, encouraged, inspired, and mentored dozens of
students. She felt that this was the biggest accomplishment of her working life.
In recent years she developed an interest in Buddhism and meditation, which provided
her with a support system during her illness.
The funeral will be held on Friday, January 26 at 10:30 at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. In lieu
of flowers, donations in Deborah’s memory may be sent to Organization for Autism
Research (OAR) https://researchautism.org/.

Deborah Slocum died of Parkinson’s Disease on Sunday, January 21, 2024

She was the daughter of Edwin and Sophie Salsburg, born in 1942 in Shillington, Pennsylvania, the sister of William, Paul, Jean and Ricki, wife of Joel Slocum, mother of Susannah and Genevieve, stepmother of Rachel Bibbs, and grandmother of Sadie and Voltaire. She graduated from Governor Mifflin High School in Shillington, obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s degree in Political Science from Temple University, trained as and worked briefly as a paralegal, and obtained the qualification of Physical Therapist from Columbia University and worked as such at an Alzheimer’s center in Wellesley. She was a member of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. A significant personal accomplishment was obtaining a private flying license. Among her interests were cooking, reading (especially novels), traveling, meeting new people, listening to music, viewing art, being physically active, and inventing improbable devices. In lieu of flowers, donations in Deborah’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Helen (Honey) Simon Swartz passed away on January 22, 2024 at the age of 97. She was the daughter of the late Rose and Isaac Simon and devoted wife of the late Henry D. Swartz. Cherished sister of the late Frieda Freedman. Beloved mother of Marcia and Len Ross, Jeffrey Swartz and Sherrill Berk. Proud Gram of Allison and Lance George, Stacey and Alex Washkowitz, Rachel and Shawn Robinson, Haley Swartz and Joshua Sherman, and “Hon” to 6 great grandchildren: Tyler, Peyton, Ella, Jack, Isaac and Ethan. Aunt to many nieces and nephews who meant so much to her and a role model to many who she treated as her own. Honey also had many friends with whom she shared incredible memories and experiences.

The first of her family to attend college, she earned a bachelor’s degree which was a tremendous source of pride and accomplishment for her. She worked at Boston College for over 30 years, first in the art department and then as an assistant to the director of McMullen Museum.  Known as the “Jewish mother in residence,” Honey was respected and loved by students and staff alike. A life member of Hadassah, she was also active in the sisterhood of Kehillath Israel and veteran affairs organizations. She had a very strong interest in current affairs and was an avid reader until her sight became compromised in recent years. Remarkably, she began modeling in her 40’s and was in high demand thanks to her beauty, photogenic smile, and slick bun. Scarves, huge glasses, leopard prints and lots of jewelry were trademarks of her fashion style. Honey was fiercely independent and maintained a wild sense of humor throughout her life.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, January 24 at 11:00 a.m. at Temple Israel of Natick. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to NWH Charitable Foundation, The Henry D. Swartz fund for Oncology Services, 2014 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02462 or charity of your choice.

Carole R. Cotton

Of Waltham, January 16, 2024. Beloved wife of the late Richard “Dickie” Cotton, WFD Ret. Loving mother of Heidi Pfeifer of Reading and Joel Cotton and his wife Lauren Anderson of Marshfield. Devoted grandmother of Rina Pfeifer of Reading. Sister of Gerald “Jerry” Escott of Salem. Carole is also survived by her sister-in-law Marjorie Cotton Supple of Hingham and loving nieces and nephews. Graveside Service on Friday, January 19, 2024, at 11:00 am in Beth Israel Memorial Park, 190 South St. Waltham, MA. Carole was a cashier for over 30 years at the Star Market on Lexington St. Waltham. Remembrances in memory of Carole may be made to MSPCA.org.