Elaine Magidson Barnett
Elaine Magidson Barnett, nee Wick, of Milwaukee died Dec. 7. She was 90.
She graduated from Whitefish Bay High School, then attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 1945.
She was a member of Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun. She was active in the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning and the League of Women Voters.
Her first husband, Shepard Magidson, died in 1968; her second, Philip Barnett, died in 2008.
She is survived by children Richard (Beverly) Magidson, Rosie (Simon) Aronin and Julie Magidson; step-children Elizabeth Matz, David (Susan) Barnett and Cynthia Obletz; brother Marv Wick; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Goodman-Bensman Whitefish Bay Funeral Home handled arrangements. Rabbi Marc Berkson officiated at the funeral on Dec. 9. Burial was in Spring Hill Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to Jewish Family Services, the Jewish Home and Care Center or the charity of the donor’s choice.
Ruth Biller Bloom
Milwaukee native Ruth L. Bloom, nee Biller, of Bethesda, Md., died Dec. 23 of Parkinson’s disease. She was 85.
She graduated from Washington High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked as a medical technician.
She was active in Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County, serving as its president. She was also a member of Hadassah.
She was interested in Zionism, politics and environmental activism.
She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph Bloom, M.D. She is survived by sons David (Leslie) Bloom, Steven (Jennifer) Bloom and Leonard (Margery) Bloom; sister Suzanne Krasno; and five grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Dec. 24 at her synagogue. Burial was in King David Memorial Garden in Falls Church, Va.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or to the Greater Washington Chapter of Hadassah.
Frank Glazer
Frank Glazer of Topsham, Maine, died on Jan. 13 of congestive heart failure. He was 99.
He was born in Chester, Wis. and moved to Milwaukee in 1916. He attended North Division High School and graduated in 1933. He was a concert pianist.
His wife, Ruth G. Glazer, died in 2006. He is survived by brothers Edward Glazer of Brookfield and Samuel Glazer of Madison. Burial was in Maine.
Elaine Holman
Elaine Holman of Sheboygan died on Jan. 15 following a fall in her home. She was 88.
She was a graduate of Milwaukee Downer College and earned a master’s degree in teaching from Lawrence University. She taught high school English for more than 30 years and was chair of her department.
Her husband David died in 2009. She is survived by sons Howard (Elizabeth) Holman of Chicago and Alan (Jodi) Holman of Mequon. Arrangements handled by Ballhorn Funeral Chapels. Burial was in Hebrew Cemetery in Kohler.
The family suggests memorial contributions to the Elaine Holman Scholarship Fund c/o Sheboygan Public Education Foundation, 605 N. 8th St., #214, Sheboygan, WI, 53081.
Marvin Levey
Marvin Levey of Fox Point died on Dec. 1 of natural causes. He was 93.
He was born in Detroit and came to Milwaukee from Flint, Mich., in 2008. He graduated from Cooley High School in Detroit in 1939 and from the University of Michigan in 1943.
He was the manager of a radio station, working at WFDF from 1944 until retirement in 1985. He was a past president of the Flint Radio Broadcasters Association and the Flint Executive Sales Club.
In Flint, he was a member of Temple Beth El, serving as its president for two terms. He was the first recipient of the Flint Jewish Community Council Youth Leadership Award. In Milwaukee, he belonged to Congregation Shalom.
He was the creator of the Cockaloopie Sandwich Program used at several children’s hospitals.
His wife Marcia (nee Acker) died in 2003. He is survived by son Michael (Linda Gorens-Levey) Levey of Milwaukee; daughters Ellen (Larry Selig) Levey of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Barbara (Michael) Warheit of Barrington, Ill.; and six grandchildren.
Blane Goodman Funeral Services handled arrangements. Rabbi Ronald M. Shapiro officiated at a memorial service on Dec. 3.
The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to the Jewish Community Pantry, the Child Life Program at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin or Congregation Shalom.
Sidney Lieberman
Milwaukee native Sidney Lieberman died on Dec. 7. He was 91.
He was a Milwaukee native who graduated from Washington High School and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with honors in 1948. He was the founder and proprietor of Lieberman Realty Co. He was a real estate broker and a certified property manager.
He was a member of Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, the National Association of Retailers and the Institute of Property Management. He was also active in the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
He and his wife Betty (nee Lustfield) were active supporters of Jewish and general community organizations, including: Jewish Museum Milwaukee, their synagogue, Jewish Family Services, the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, the American Jewish Committee, the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
In 1995, he and his wife donated to JFS a 16-unit apartment building as a residence for people with serious mental illness — an act that according to his wife “was really Sid’s idea and he was very proud of it.”
Lieberman told The Chronicle (Dec. 22, 1995) that in his business career, “I’ve seen the difficulties of finding and maintaining appropriate housing for those exceptional needs individuals… With this gift, Betty and I thought we could make some headway in a problem we’ve long been aware of.”
He was an avid reader. He helped found the Milwaukee chapter of the Baker Street Irregulars (the international Sherlock Holmes fan club). He also attended many comparative literature courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters Donna (William Spitz) Lieberman, Claire Lieberman and Jody (Dean) Weinberg; and three grandchildren.
Blane Goodman Funeral Service handled arrangements. Rabbi Marc Berkson officiated at the funeral on Dec. 9. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation or Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun.
Joanne Clair Peckarsky
Native Milwaukeean Joanne Clair Peckarsky of Dorchester, Mass., died on Dec. 19 of prion disease. She was 70.
She graduated from Nicolet High School in 1962 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966.
She then moved to the Boston-area, where she worked at Boston City Hospital, and later for the Boston Visiting Nurses’ Association.
She enjoyed scuba diving and doing underwater photography, and she took up yoga later in life.
She is survived by her companion of 36 years, Elissa Menconi; sister Bobbi (Steve Horn) Peckarsky; and brother James Peckarsky.
The Dolan Funeral Home in Dorchester handled arrangements.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Robert L. Schlossmann
Robert L. Schlossmann of Fox Point died Jan. 4. He was 87.
He was born in Ashland and came to Milwaukee in 1928. He graduated from Shorewood High School in 1945, and he served in the U.S. Army.
He was an automobile dealer. According to a Jan. 10 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he started in the 1950s selling at dealerships for car brands, some of which are no longer made today.
In the 1960s, he opened Dodge City. It ultimately became the Schlossmann Auto Group that includes Honda and Subaru dealerships and motorcycle dealerships, according to the Journal Sentinel.
He was a member of Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue and later Congregation Sinai.
His wife of 62 years, Dolores (nee Schulner), died in 2013. He is survived by sons Bredley (Holly) Schlossmann and Mike (Ellen) Schlossmann; and five grandchildren.
Blane Goodman Funeral Service handled arrangements. Rabbi David Cohen officiated at the funeral on Jan. 6. Burial was in Beth Hamedrosh Hagodel Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Digestive Disease Center, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI, 53226.
Oscar Schwartz
Former Milwaukeean Oscar Schwartz died Dec. 16 in Charleston, S.C. He was 91.
He was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1922 and came to Milwaukee in 1929. He graduated from North Division High School in 1940.
After marrying Shoshana “Sue” Dashevsky, the couple moved first to Minneapolis, and then in 1978 to Las Vegas. There he worked first as a magician, performing under the stage name Buddy Cordae. The International Brotherhood of Magicians gave him its Order of Merlin Excalibur award.
Later he became a personal property appraiser. He spent the past two years in Charleston.
He was a past president of the Jewish War Veterans and a past president of the Las Vegas chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He was also a member of B’nai B’rith and the Houdini Club.
His wife died in 1981. He is survived by son Richard Schwartz (Sean Forrestell) of Charleston; sister Nancy (David) Glicksman of Tucson, Ariz.; and nieces and nephews.
Goodman-Bensman Whitefish Bay Funeral Home handled local arrangements. Rabbi Gil-Ezer Lerer officiated at the funeral on Dec. 23. Burial was in Temple Menorah Ever-Rest Cemetery. In addition, the International Brotherhood of Magicians held a Broken Wand Ceremony in his honor on Jan. 5 in Las Vegas.
The family suggests memorial contributions to the Jewish War Veterans or the American Diabetes Association.
Daniel L. Shneidman
Daniel L. Shneidman of Milwaukee died on Oct. 23 of complications of dementia. He was 82.
He was born in New York City, where he graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1950 and New York University in 1954. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, graduating in 1958, when he moved to Milwaukee and worked as an attorney.
He devoted much of his practice to labor law, representing unions throughout Wisconsin. He also served on the board of governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin and he became an expert on the ethics of the legal profession.
He was a member of Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun and also studied Torah with rabbis in Milwaukee and for a short time in Israel.
He is survived by his wife Doris (nee Goldsmith); daughter Sarah (Ricardo) Damonte Vegas; sons Sam Shneidman, Jonathan Shneidman and Aaron (Tami) Shneidman; and six grandchildren.
Goodman-Bensman Whitefish Bay Funeral Home handled arrangements. Rabbis Marc Berkson and Yoseph Samuels officiated at the funeral on Oct. 27. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Milwaukee Jewish Day School, Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun or Chabad of Downtown.
Lowell Smotkin, M.D.
Lowell Smotkin, M.D., of Mequon, died December 6, 2014, at Columbia St. Mary’s-Ozaukee of post-admission complications. He was 72.
A 1960 graduate of Washington High School, Dr. Smotkin earned his Medical Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967. He completed his internship and an internal medicine residency in Michigan and Hawaii, followed by a gastroenterology fellowship in Baltimore. He established a decades-long gastroenterology practice in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, returning to Milwaukee in 2011. Dr. Smotkin served four years in the Army Medical Corps, attaining the rank of major.
Dr. Smotkin was born in Milwaukee on May 16, 1942, son of the late Max and Sylvia (Pachefsky) Smotkin. His wife of 49 years, Judy, survives her beloved husband, as does their son Joel Allen, Mequon. Their son Joshua preceded his parents in death. Dr. Smotkin is also survived by sisters and brothers Marla (the late Nathan) Berg, Milwaukee; Linda and Warren Jacobson, Glendale; Barry Salins and Yoram Kohl, Tel Aviv; cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, aunt and uncle, life-long friends, and others.
Starting at age eight and for the next twelve years, Dr. Smotkin sang alongside his father in the Beth Israel Congregation choir. He was a graduate of Milwaukee Midrashah Hebrew High School, and a president of Temple Benjamin in Mt. Pleasant, Mi. An audiophile and pianist, he had depth of knowledge and diverse interests, including creating clever online word puzzles for appreciative followers. His nieces lovingly called him a “soft-spoken braniac.” Dr. Smotkin lived a life of equanimity, optimism and resilience, always kind and gentle, looking forward, no matter the circumstance.
Funeral and burial took place December 8 at Second Home Cemetery, Rabbi Gil-Ezer Lerer officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to the donor’s choice of charity.
Loading ...
