Obituaries | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Obituaries

 

Jeffrey P. Davis

Dr. Jeffrey Paul Davis died on Jan. 16, 2018 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. He was 72.

He was born in Milwaukee on Aug. 22, 1945 to Mynette Babrove Davis and Maurice Davis. He was the beloved husband of Roseanne Clark and father of Eli and Ethan Clark-Davis; brother of Susan Davis Silver (Larry); brother-in-law of Debbie and Ron Fellman and Russell and Lori Clark; uncle of Ben and Kate Silver, Becky, Matt, and Daniel Fellman and Jesse, Joshua and Justin Clark.

Jeff was the chief medical officer for communicable diseases and the state epidemiologist for the state of Wisconsin for over 40 years. He was also adjunct professor of pediatrics and population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He attended Whitefish Bay High School and University of Wisconsin–Madison. Jeff attended the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

The funeral was Jan. 19, with Cress Funeral Service. The service was held at the First Unitarian Society with burial at Natural Path Sanctuary at the Farley Center in Verona. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jeff’s memory are greatly appreciated and may be made to the Jeffrey P. Davis, MD Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin Foundation.

Anneliese Esser

Anneliese Esser of Glendale died Jan. 14, 2018. She was 87.

She was born Jan. 27, 1930, in Wallertheim, Germany.

She was predeceased by Norman B. Esser in 2015.

She came to Wisconsin in 1940 and attended North Division High School, graduating in 1948.

A member of Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid, she loved her four children, six grandchildren and great granddaughter.

Mother of Jeffrey (Janine Landow-Esser) Esser; Joni (Paul Stuart) Esser-Stuart; James (Jane) Esser; and Jay (See Tarn Woon) Esser. Granmother of Dr. Erica Esser, Ashley Libit, Caroline Esser, Elizabeth Esser-Stuart, Audrey Perkins and Rebcca Esser-Stuart. Great-grandmother of Emelia Bea Stellner.

At the age of eight, Ann escaped Nazi Germany on a Kinder transport to Heiden, Switzerland where she lived in a Jewish orphanage for 1 1/2 years and then traveled with three other children to France, Spain, and Portugal and then to New York. She then traveled to Stevens Point where she met her parents and sister who had been sponsored by the Jewish community of Stevens Point.

Burial was at Spring Hill Cemetery on Jan. 18 with Rabbi Jacob Herber and Hazzan Jeremy Stein officiating. The home was Goodman-Bensman Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions are welcome to Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid, 6880 N. Green Bay Ave, Glendale, WI 53209.

Berenice H. Harris

Berenice H. Harris (nee Kushner) of Milwaukee died Jan. 24, 2018. She was 103.

Berenice was born in Superior on May 9, 1914. She was a lifelong resident of Wisconsin and lived in Milwaukee since 1955. She taught English literature at Milwaukee’s Washington High School and other schools throughout Wisconsin for 44 years.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Daniel, and son, Michael. She is survived by her son, Ethan (Kathleen); daughter-in-law, Ellen; niece, Frances Mesken; and grandchildren: Rachel (Dov), Melanie (Andrew), Geoffrey, Timothy, and Elizabeth Harris. She will also be dearly missed by her great-granddaughters: Gabriella, Leah and Julia. Private services were held.

Goodman-Bensman Funeral Home assisted the family.

William Jacob Katz

William J. Katz, a longtime Fox Point resident, died on Jan. 31, 2018. He was 93.

He was born Jan. 19, 1925 in Chicago and attended Chicago Public Schools.

During World War II he served in the Army Air Force. He earned a bachelor’s in engineering at University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign where he met his wife of 69 years, Estelle Zoghlin. He earned both master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, department of chemical engineering.

Bill spent 25 years at Rex Chainbelt, Inc. where he developed state-of-the-art processes that were used internationally in municipal water treatment. He testified before U.S. Congressional committees and taught engineering at Marquette University and at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He served as director of technical services for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

He and his wife supported many causes, including the ACLU-Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Radio, Neve Shalom, Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee, WUWM and the United Performing Arts Fund. He was a member of Congregation Shir Hadash. Bill was an avid tennis player and bicyclist.

Bill and Estelle lived in their family home in Fox Point for 53 years. As Estelle required more care for her dementia, they decided in April 2017 to move to Mequon – Estelle to the Sarah Chudnow Community and Bill with his daughter and son-in-law. Bill died peacefully in the Lawlis Family Hospice, Mequon, surrounded by family.

He is survived by his beloved wife Estelle Katz (nee Zoghlin); cherished children, David (Anne) Katz, Rea (Richard Bartlein) Katz, Aaron (Kate Dougherty) Katz and Diane (Phillip Bizzarri) Katz; grandchildren, Jessica (Tom Amey) Katz-Amey, Sol (Jenna) Katz, Ben (Renee Szudy) Bartlein, Becky (Carl Petrillo) Katz, Andrew (Kati) Bartlein, Michael (Ashley Motta) Bartlein and Elia Bizzarri; great-grandchildren, Fiona, Gabriel, Joshua, Eden and Isaac.

A graveside service was held on Feb. 8, 2018 at Mound Zion Cemetery in Brookfield. Rabbi Michal Woll officiated. Memorial contributions to a charity or non-profit organization would be appreciated by the family.