Shyla Toby Blankstein, a native of Glendale, died March 27. She was 64.
A graduate of Washington High School, she earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Except for some time in Brooklyn, she spent her career as a Spanish teacher at Nicolet High School, eventually becoming the department chair.
According to her family she was an avid traveler and “a full-time student of life.” She took many students to Spain and encouraged them to embrace the language and culture. She spent her summers traveling in the U.S. and abroad, they said.
After retiring she renewed her interest in playing the piano and as “with everything she did, she did it well,” said her niece, Evelyn Greenberger. One of her highlights was accompanying her great-nephew, Justin Greenberger, at a solo/ensemble contest at Nicolet, where he took first place in French horn. “I think she was happier than Justin,” she said.
She was a member of Congregation Beth Israel and its Sisterhood where she helped publish the synagogue newsletter and where she and her sister, the late Betty Ziger, established the Isadore & Sylvia Blankstein Library. She also served the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in a number of volunteer capacities.
“Shyla made each moment count and was committed to helping others,” said her niece.
She is survived by brother-in-law Bernard Ziger, four nieces, a nephew, and 11 great-nieces and nephews.
Graveside services were held at Second Home Cemetery on March 28. Rabbi Jacob Herber officiated.
The family would appreciate memorials to the Isadore & Sylvia Blankstein Library at Congregation Beth Israel, the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America or the Cystic Fibrosis Fund.
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