Obituaries

Portia Gwen (Raider) Harcus, of Boston, passed away on July 14, 2022. Portia was born February 28, 1934, in Brockton and was raised in Sharon.  She attended Wheaton College where she majored in Economics.  She traveled to Paris and took art history classes in Boston.  After returning to Boston, Portia went to work for the front office of The Boston Celtics, cementing her passion for basketball and her love of The Celts – she was a season ticket holder for decades.

Portia was co-owner of The Harcus-Krakow gallery of Newbury Street for many years and then Director of Harcus Gallery on South Avenue in Boston.  She continued as an independent art dealer and consultant.

Portia curated numerous art shows at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, where she also served on the Board of Governors.  She was considered an expert and highly regarded in her field. Throughout her life, she mentored many young artists, students, and gallery interns and encouraged their careers.

Portia was a strong, independent woman, and her determination was reflected in both her professional and personal life.  Her zest for life and adventurous spirit took her around the globe where she developed many friendships. For forty-plus years, Aspen, Colorado was a second home for her.  She was drawn to both the mountains and the oceans.  She relished the waters of Scituate as well as the beaches of Cape Cod.  From her early childhood, Portia was an outstanding athlete.  Skiing double diamonds in Aspen through her mid-eighties, and playing tennis, hiking, swimming throughout her life.

Portia epitomized style and haute couture.  She loved shopping and spent many hours in the original Filene’s Basement, which led her to be named Best Dressed in Boston Magazine.

Portia lived her life to the fullest and created her own path without compromise.

Portia was pre-deceased by her brother Herbert Raider and his wife Martha.  She lives on through the hearts of her nieces and nephews Lisa and Tom Doran, Bruce Raider and his wife Deborah Woodford, and Edward (deceased) and Phyllis Raider, as well as her many beloved grand-nieces, grand-nephews, cousins, and their families.

A graveside funeral will be held at Sharon Memorial Park on Sunday, July 17 at 9:45 am.  Masks are requested.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Portia’s memory may be sent to Planned Parenthood (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-involved/other-ways-give) or the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) in support of Student Financial Aid https://give.tufts.edu/campaigns/21973/donations/new

Benjamin S. Rubin of Boca Raton, Florida, formerly of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, passed away on July 9th, 2022. He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, one of six children of Pauline Davis and Samuel Rubin, on September 5th, 1924.  Survivors are his wife of 65 years, Joan Genesky Rubin of Boca Raton, daughters Elyse and Laurel, 3 grandchildren and one great-grandson, and his sister Sandra Rubin. Ben resided in Chestnut Hill for 50 years, and was very involved with the Newton community. He served on the Newton Crime Commission for 50 years. The late mayor Theodore (Ted) Mann, presented Ben with the key to the city, and declared that day “Ben Rubin Day.” Ben was very involved with the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston, supporting its health club, golf tournaments, and scholarship programs and was particularly supportive of the JCC Early Learning Center in Brookline. In 1979 he was appointed by Rudolph McLaughlin to the Board of the Registry of Motor Vehicles. He was on the Board of Trustees of University Hospital (now Boston Medical Center) and was appointed by then-Governor Paul Cellucci to the Massachusetts Board of Public Health. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Beaver Country Day School for many years. He was a President of the King Solomon Lodge of the Odd Fellows. He was also a long-time member and leader of the American Legion Nonantum Post 440. Private funeral services were held at the South Florida National Cemetery.

Bryna Laub (née Pearlman), passed away on July 8, 2022, after a full and active 80 years. From geologist, to high school science teacher, and then becoming a successful TV and Radio personality, Bryna could do anything she set her mind to – and did!  She was the wife of Bernard Laub, deceased; the sister of Arthur Pearlman & his wife Rosanne; the mother of Michael Laub & his wife Nadine Melka; the Grandmother of Thomas & Matthew Laub.  A service will be held on Sunday July 10, 2022 at 11am at Congregation Or Atid, 97 Concord Rd., Wayland, MA. Burial will take place at the Los Gatos Memorial Park in San Jose, CA, where she will join her beloved Bernie.

David Riquier, a kind and gentle man, passed away on July 5. He leaves his wife Martha, his daughter Andrea and his son Adam. Other survivors include his sister Joanne Antos and his cousins Ludlow (Carol) Berkeley and Linda (Ernest) LeBlanc. David’s parents, Edgar and Barbara Tirrell Riquier, predeceased him. David was born in West Point, NY, and lived in Guam and Beverly, MA as a child; he raised his family in Needham, MA. He was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts and held a BA from Boston University and an MA from Harvard Extension School where he was also a teaching assistant. David spent his career in communications, including at the MIT Media Lab. His love of poetry and art was well-known. No services will be held. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Needham Community Council, 570 Hillside Ave., Needham 02494 or to the charity of your choice.

Klubock, Elaine S. (Clayman) of Wellesley, formerly of Newton, MA, on Friday, July 1, 2022. For 55 years she was the beloved wife of the late Morse H. Klubock. Devoted mother of Andrew and David Klubock. Also survived by several nieces and nephews. Graveside services at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, MA on Friday, July 8, 2022 at 9:45 am. In lieu of flowers, donations in Elaine’s memory may be made to Aid for Cancer Research, PO Box 376, Newton, MA 02459.

Born in Boston 1930 she was the daughter of the late Isadore & Freida Kovey of Stoughton. Eileen graduated Stoughton High School and received a B.A. degree from U of Mass. Amherst where she met her future husband, Sid Mackler. They were married 45 years before Sid passed away. They worked together each summer for 20 years at their boys camp, Weemac and later their Campground in Amesbury MA.

Eileen was very active at the Brockton YMHA where she was a board member. She was also a life member of Hadassah and a 50 plus year member of Temple Beth Emunah of Brockton. For 22 years Eileen ran a used Toy Store, Toy Peddlers in W. Bridgewater.

She leaves 3 sons and their families: Dennis and Rosane, of Dedham. Jay and Gail, of Mattapoisett,  Kenneth and Joni, of Newton and 6 grandchildren:  Sabrina, Andy, Alex, Jared, Molly & Joey.

She also leaves her sister Gail Taylor formerly of Lexington, her brother Mark Kovey and his wife Myra of Chevy Chase MD. She will be missed by her many nieces, nephews and cousins. Her sisters Cynthia Powell & Davida Newman predeceased her.

The family thanks the many in home caregivers and Old colony hospice for their kindness and compassion.

Graveside service at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, MA on Friday, July 8^th at 11:45 am.

Donations may be made to ALS, Hadassah, Cancer Society or Old Colony Hospice.

Dr. Irving Itzkan, a biomedical physicist of Boston, Massachusetts, died on June 30, 2022. Dr. Itzkan is survived by his beloved wife, Annette Itzkan, his two sons, Harry Simon and his wife Debra, Seth Itzkan, and his nieces and nephews, Philip, Billy and Russel Brodsky, David and Peggy Bodwell, and his grandchildren, Michael, Ashlie and Katelyn Quinney. He hails from Brooklyn, New York, where his parents, Sheila and Harry, settled after emigrating from Eastern Europe. He attended Cornell and Columbia Universities and obtained his PhD.in physics from New York University.

Dr. Itzkan had a long and prestigious career bringing therapeutic and diagnostic innovations to doctors and patients around the world. He was Chairman of the Optics Committee at the Avco-Everett Research Lab which designed and developed the first intra-aortic balloon pump, a cardiac assist device which has been used on millions of people. In the Spectroscopy Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), he contributed to the development of instruments and techniques for using fiber-optic probes in the body to recognize pre-cancerous cells in real time, greatly increasing the rapidity and ease of such potentially life saving diagnoses. In addition to Avco and MIT, his affiliations as a researcher or instructor included Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, and Sperry Labs.

Dr. Itzkan was an officer  in the US Navy, a board member of Community Boating Incorporated in Boston, and a lifetime contributor to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Above all else was was love for his family, sailing, NYT crossword puzzles, Jeopardy, and a good joke. Sail on dear Irving, and keep coming up with those Jeopardy answers. We love and miss you.

Harriet Begelfer, of Dedham, passed away on June 29, 2022, after a full an active 98 years. She was the wife of MacDavis Canada Begelfer, deceased, the mother of David Begelfer & Bette Ann Libby, Judy & David Sonner, and Michael & Karen Begelfer; the grandmother of Noah Budnick &  Amanda Hickman, Jesse Begelfer & Richard Liinamo, Lily Mittman, Molly Sonner, and Merrill Begelfer; and the great grandmother of Charlotte Begelfer and Milo Mittman. A private graveside service will be held at Sharon Memorial Park. Remembrances in memory of Harriet may be made to WGBH @ donate.wgbh.org or to the ASPCA @ aspca.org.

Donna (Beggelman) Trushin of North Carolina, formerly of Stoughton, on June 25, 2022. Beloved wife of the late Ronald Trushin.  Devoted mother of Jennifer Beddia and her husband John, and the late Stacy Miriam and Suzanne Carole Trushin. Loving grandmother of Zoey and Jaxon Beddia. Sister of the late Gary Baylor. Daughter of the late Israel and Anne (Adelman) Beggelman. Private graveside service at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 2:45 pm. Remembrances in memory of Donna may be made to the Stacey and Suzanne Trushin Memorial Scholarship, Stoughton High School, c/o Beddia, 75 Hirst Rd. Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 or to Trees for Israel @  jfn.org

Jeffrey Sosnovik, beloved father, grandfather, and friend passed away peacefully on
June 24, 2022. He was 88 years old and lived a full and wonderful life. He was born
in Johannesburg into a large and closely-knit Jewish family.  Devotion-to-family and
Jewish identity remained central to him for the rest of his life. Jeffrey studied
commerce and economics at university, including time spent on a scholarship at the
London School of Economics. He then returned to South Africa to assist his father in
running a manufacturing business, but above all, he was a wonderfully devoted
father to his three children Josepha (Sephi), Adie and David. Nothing gave him more
joy than helping them take on the challenges and goals that they had chosen. He was
an incredibly tolerant, kind, nurturing and supportive man.

Jeffrey had a diverse array of interests and hobbies including horse-riding,
yoga (even before it was popular), hiking, classical music, photography and computer
science. Having seen all three of his children through university and onto their career
paths, Jeffrey emigrated with his then-wife Gilda to the United States at age 65.
Despite having lived in extremely large cities all his life, he embraced life in the small
town of Sequim in the Olympic Peninsula. He immersed himself all that Sequim had
to offer from mountain hikes along glaciers to strolls along the beach at sunset. He
was at his happiest in the phenomenal natural beauty of Sequim and hiked 4-5
times/week until his mid-80s.  Jeffrey was unusually “tech-savvy” for a man of his
generation, which allowed him to stay in close contact with Adie in London, Sephi in
Chicago and David in Boston. He was always there to listen, discuss the merits of the
latest Apps and software upgrades, or provide an opinion on the merits of a
particular stock. Of course, nothing beat an in-person visit to him in Sequim, which
was always relaxing, rejuvenating and greatly treasured.

Jeffrey became extremely popular with the locals of Sequim– he was a wonderful
listener and had time and a smile for everybody. His smile exuded warmth and
calmness and would light up a room. Jeffrey and Gilda were married for 39 years and
continued to remain close in Sequim, where they both lived, until he came to Boston
for health reasons at 85.

Nothing gave Jeffrey more joy than being with his grandchildren Steven, Elizabeth
(Ellie) and Charlotte. He was able to spend a large amount of time with them and
watch them grow up. Whether playing catch, balloons or reading to them on his lap –
his face would beam with joy.  Even when his mobility decreased in his last few
years, he would push his walker with great determination over fairly challenging
terrain to watch Ellie, Charlotte and his daughter-in-law Debbie play tennis.

Whenever someone hit a good shot he (and Debbie) would break into a huge smile
and cheer.

Jeffrey would always respect and listen to an opposing viewpoint. Discussions with
him were never heated.  Everyone who knew Jeffrey, even just briefly, would
comment on his warmth and kindness.  He leaves a wonderful legacy of Tikkum-
Olam. He was a special man, admired and respected by all, and will be sorely
missed. He is survived by his children Sephi, Adie and David Sosnovik; grandchildren
Steven Decker, Elizabeth and Charlotte Sosnovik, daughter-in-law Debbie Goldstein
and ex-wife Gilda Sosnovik.

In the spirit of Jeffrey, tributes can be made to the following charities:
–       American Friends of Sheba Medical Center: https://www.afsmc.org
–       Newbridge on the Charles, Kotler Fund for Employee
Health: https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/giving