Betty Desberg Friedlander, 96, died Aug. 30, 2015. Mrs. Friedlander and her first husband, Ira Desberg, vacationed in Arizona during the 1940s, and after his death, she remarried and retired to Tucson in the 1970s. Mrs. Friedlander was preceded in death by her first husband, Ira Desberg, and her… Read more »
Debra Sue Simon, 60, died Aug. 23, 2015. Born at Tucson Medical Center in 1954, she was featured in the Arizona Daily Star as Perky Little Debra Sue. Mrs. Simon lived her entire life in Tucson. She graduated from Catalina High School, where she was a varsity gymnast. After… Read more »
Maris (Mitzi) Kay Bootzin, 74, died Aug. 17, 2015, in Austin, Texas. Born in Milwaukee, Mrs. Bootzin graduated from Whitefish Bay High School in Milwaukee where, in her senior year, she directed all theatre productions. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Early in her career, she was a part-time… Read more »
Naomi Islin, 100, died March 11, 2015. Born in Manhattan, N.Y., she married Sidney Islin in 1936 and they moved to Tucson in 1948. Mrs. Islin worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II while her husband served in the… Read more »
Allen Derman, 53, died July 9, 2015. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Mr. Derman was raised in Tucson. He graduated from Rincon High School in 1979 and earned a systems engineering degree from the University of Arizona in 1984. He lived in Denver for the past 20 years. He… Read more »
Beatrice L. Jaffe, 98, died July 11, 2015. Born in Methuen, Mass., Mrs. Jaffe attended college for one year and worked in retail sales and customer service. In 1998, she moved to Tucson to be near family. Mrs. Jaffe was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Barney… Read more »
Betty Kay Holpert, 92, died July 26, 2015. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Holpert grew up in a multi-generational immigrant family. She graduated from Brooklyn College in 1944 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and graduated from Pratt Institute in 1945 with a Bachelor of Library… Read more »
Leon M. Kreida, 84, of Oro Valley, died Aug. 2, 2015. Born in Worcester, Mass., Mr. Kreida earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arizona. He served in the Marines during the Korean War and was in the Army Reserves. He was an insurance salesman and… Read more »
Theodore Bikel attending a film festival in Hollywood, California, April 25, 2013. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
(JTA) — Theodore Bikel, an actor and folk singer who was recognized in 1997 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, has died at 91. Bikel, who won fame playing Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” doing more performances of the role than any… Read more »
Carol Kestler, 74, died July 17, 2015. A longtime resident of Tucson, Mrs. Kestler was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. She was the founder and executive director of Arts Genesis, an organization that made art instruction available in less privileged schools. She was a widely known as a Judaic teacher… Read more »
Florence M. Lazar, 92, died July 2, 2015. Mrs. Lazar was born in Jersey City, N.J., and has been a resident of Tucson since she moved here with her husband, a retired dentist, in 1978. Mrs. Lazar was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Mark A.… Read more »
Marilyn Bart, 80, died June 27, 2015. Mrs. Bart was born in the Bronx, N.Y. She married Roy Bart in 1954 and they moved to Tucson with their three daughters in 1961. She had a career in real estate. Survivors include her husband, Roy Bart; brother, Sid (Roz) Katz… Read more »
Alfred E. Lipsey, 96, died June 27, 2015. Mr. Lipsey graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1940, with a B.E. in drama. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1949, with an M.A. in drama. He was an actor/director of theatrical productions for USC… Read more »
Helen Marie Soloway, 94, died June 26, 2015 in Phoenix. Mrs. Soloway was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She worked as an executive secretary for the United States Naval Department for 24 years. In 1963, while visiting her brother, Ben, and his family in Tucson, she met her future husband,… Read more »
Irene M. Sarver, a longtime Jewish community and civic leader, died July 6, 2015. She was 95. Mrs. Sarver served on the boards and was a member of countless organizations, including Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Hadassah, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona,… Read more »
Barry S. Hirsch, 73, died June 15, 2015. Mr. Hirsch was born in Cleveland. His family moved to Tucson in 1948. A graduate of Tucson High School, he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from the University of Arizona. Mr. Hirsh served in the Peace Corps… Read more »
Lillian Fisher, 93, died June 7, 2015. She served as a Pima County Superior Court Judge for 16 years. She helped found the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and was a founding member of the National Association of Women Judges. She also helped establish many Tucson organizations, including the Tucson… Read more »
Raymond Karl Lederman, D.O., a doctor, psychiatrist and passionate advocate for child and adolescent mental health, died June 15, 2015 after what his family describes as “a long journey” with cancer. He was 65. Born in Detroit, he graduated from the University of Michigan, then attended medical school at… Read more »
Ruth J. Weinstein, 87, died May 29, 2015. Born in Newark, N.J., Mrs. Weinstein lived in New Jersey until 1977 when she and her husband moved to Tucson. She was a congregant of Temple Emanu-El for 38 years and volunteered on many committees and assisted in the office until… Read more »
Rochelle Shoretz was the founder and executive director of Sharsheret. (Courtesy of Sharsheret)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Rochelle Shoretz was fond of saying, “There are no problems, only solutions.” Her approach to life was not to dwell on bad news, but to channel the energy that friends described as boundless into somehow making things better. It’s what drove her to establish the… Read more »
