Obituaries

Richard Bleich

Richard Naftal Bleich, 81, died in Torrance, Calif., on Aug. 19, 2013. Mr. Bleich was preceded in death by his wife, Vida, and brothers, Clifford and Martin Bleich. Survivors include his daughters, Laurie Jo (Cliff) Gerstman and Karen Alix (Peter Laudenslager) Bleich; brother, Stephen Francis Bleich; and one granddaughter.… Read more »

Augusta Citron

Augusta “Gussie” Citron, 99, died Aug. 4, 2013. Mrs. Citron was born in New York City. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Sidney Raven, and her second husband, Charles Citron. Survivors include her children, Belinda Dumont  of Tampa, Fla., and Mark  (Ellen Shenkarow) Raven of Tucson;… Read more »

Gail Mordka

Gail Mordka, 69, died July 28, 2013. Born in Lansing, Mich., Mrs. Mordka served on the board of Jewish Family & Children’s Services and volunteered at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, as well as other agencies and charities. Survivors include her children, Michelle (William)Rubin of Skokie, Ill., and… Read more »

Lil Boas

Lil “Cookie” Boas, 91, died July 11, 2013. Mrs. Boas and her family moved to Tucson in 1959. She found work as a model, singer and actress, and can be seen as an extra in the John Wayne classic, “McLintock!” She worked at Merrill Lynch and retired after 25… Read more »

Howard Horne

Howard Starman Horne, 81, died July 1, 2013. Mr. Horne was educated at Central and Cass Tech in Detroit and then joined the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. He returned to Michigan to continue his education and marry his first wife. He then ventured to Arizona to mine uranium. He… Read more »

Klara Swimmer

Klara Ilona Swimmer, M.D., 88, died July 18, 2013. Born in Hungary, Dr. Swimmer met her husband, George, as a teenager. They married in May 1944 on the steps of the then-locked synagogue. Soon after she was put on a train and taken to Auschwitz, along with her mother… Read more »

Nechama Devore

Nechama (nee Marilyn) Devore, 73, died June 7, 2013. Mrs. Devore was trained and certified as a chaplain at University Medical Center. Survivors include her husband, Samuel; and daughter, Karen (Joel) Heller of Tucson. Services were held at Congregation Or Chadash with Rabbi Thomas Louchheim and Cantor Janece Cohen… Read more »

Mildred Wool

Mildred Elaine “Millie” Wool (nee Goodman), 89, died July 3, 2013. A lifelong resident of Waukegan, Ill., and a frequent winter visitor to Tucson, Mrs. Wool graduated from Waukegan High School and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After her marriage in 1948 to Buddy Wool, they started their life… Read more »

Esther Capin

Esther N. Capin, 78, died July 14, 2013. Born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, she moved to Nogales, Ariz., in 1955 when she married Richard L. Capin. She was instrumental in developing mental health services for the Nogales community as well as a modern public library. She… Read more »

Donna Zee

Donna Zee, 64, died July 5, 2013. Survivors include her sons, Lonny Sternberg and Samuel Sternberg of Paradise Valley, Ariz.; sisters, Linda Devor of Stevenson Ranch, Calif., and Dorothy Jean Lanier of Tucson; and three grandchildren. Graveside services were held in the Temple Emanu-El section of Evergreen Cemetery with… Read more »

Harold Kitay

Harold Kitay, 84, died June 26, 2013. A Tucson entrepreneur for 54 years, Mr. Kitay founded a chain of building supply stores in California and Arizona and was involved in the manufacturing of home products. He was active in real estate in Southern Arizona as a founding partner of… Read more »

Rita Golding

Rita M. Golding, 81, died June 22, 2013. Mrs. Golding was preceded in death by her husband of almost 45 years, Melville Golding, and son, Jeffrey Golding. Survivors include her children, Matthew (Allison) Golding of California, Lance (Debbi) Golding of Nevada, Gary (Jani) Golding of Connecticut and Stacy Golding… Read more »

Sally Eisenberg

Sally Eisenberg, 71, of Oro Valley, died June 21, 2013. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Eisenberg was a teacher. Mrs. Eisenberg was preceded in death by her first husband, Vincent Amato, daughter Gay Amato, and sons, Eric and Michael Eisenberg. Survivors include her husband, Merrill; children, Bill (Ana) Amato,… Read more »

Rabbi Joseph Weizenbaum, champion of social justice, dies

Rabbi Joseph Weizenbaum

Rabbi Joseph Weizenbaum, who retired in 2002 after 44 years in the rabbinate — more than 30 of them in Tucson — died July 1, 2013. He was 80. Weizenbaum, who was senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El for 21 years beginning in 1972, and founded the now-defunct Congregation Ner Tamid… Read more »

Martin Miller

Martin I. Miller, 90, died June 18, 2013. Mr. Miller was in the Army Signal Corp during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star. ­He was active in the Jewish War Veterans organization. Mr. Miller was preceded in death by his wife, Rhoda, and son, Michael. Survivors… Read more »

John Goodman

John C. Goodman, 99, died June 16, 2013. Mr. Goodman was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents had recently emigrated from Byelorussia. He moved to Tucson in 1950 and owned Lee’s Liquors for many years. Mr. Goodman was preceded in death by his five siblings and his wife,… Read more »

Jerold Alpert

Jerold Michael Alpert, 74, died June 17, 2013. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Alpert graduated from the University of Arizona and spent his years working as a master builder and contractor in the foothills area. Survivors include his wife, Vicki; children, Sandi (Monte) Riley  and Jeff Alpert; stepdaughters Audrey… Read more »

Richard Vosk

Richard B. Vosk, 95, died June 16, 2013. Mr. Vosk worked as an engineer and assisted in many government projects, including designing parts for the Nautilus submarine  and radar development on ships and airplanes. He was an avid amateur radio operator. In his earlier years he was a scout… Read more »

Zachary Orman

Zachary Solomon Orman, 28, died in a paragliding accident at the Los Cienagas National Conservation Area near Sonoita, Ariz., on April 7, 2013. Born in Merced, Calif., and raised in Murphys, Calif. Mr. Orman graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in neurobiology. He… Read more »

Ronald Janoff

Ronald C. Janoff, 85, died June 4, 2013. Born in New York City, Mr. Janoff served in the United States Merchant Marine in World War II and in the U.S. Coast Guard. He graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in 1948. Mr. Janoff was a real… Read more »