Obituaries

Sidney “Poppi” Liebeskind, 100, died April 28, 2011. A long time Tucson resident, Mr. Liebeskind was born in Newark, N.J. Survivors include his wife, Florence Hass Liebeskind; children, Gail (Cal) Rudner and Wayne (Patty) Liebeskind; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Graveside services were held in the Cong. Anshei Israel… Read more »

Herbert E. Sim, 87, died April 13, 2011. Mr. Sim was preceded in death by his wife, Sylvia. Survivors include his children, Randolph (Diane) Sim of Washington, D.C., Charles (Katherine) Sim of Indianapolis, Ind., Steven Sim (Marilyn Einstein) of Tucson, Marguerite (Steven) Gleitman of Santa Monica, Calif., and Ernestine… Read more »

Isaac Irving Senor, 86, died April 1, 2011. Mr. Senor was born in Salonika, Greece. When he was 16, the Nazis took the town’s young men to build a rail line and sent the rest of the Jewish population to concentration camps. He spent time in five different camps… Read more »

Lillian (Lilly) Weich, 94, died March 24, 2011. Born in Poland/Austria, Mrs. Weich immigrated to the United States in 1935 as a young bride. She became a U.S. citizen in January 1943. Mrs. Weich raised her family in New Jersey, where she owned a women’s store, The Sample Shop.… Read more »

Eileen F. Starr, 84, died March 15, 2011. Born in Chicago, Ill., Mrs. Starr attended the University of Miami, where she met her husband, M. Lee Starr. After graduating, they moved to Tucson. Mrs. Starr taught in the Tucson Unified School District; the last 15 years of her teaching… Read more »

Joyce Oresman, 79, died March 10, 2011 in San Francisco. Raised in the Bronx, New York, she married her husband, Edward Oresman, in 1953 and they moved to Tucson and raised four children before moving to San Francisco in 1980. Mrs. Oresman was office manager at Peter Wells Press,… Read more »

Betty Zunin, 95, died Feb. 27, 2011 in Napa, Calif. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Zunin lived most of her life in Tucson. Mrs. Zunin was preceded in death by her husband, Louis Zunin. Graveside services were held in the Congregation Anshei Israel section of Evergreen Cemetery with Rabbi… Read more »

Elaine Judith Smelkinson, 71, died Feb. 23, 2011. Born in Baltimore, Md., Mrs. Smelkinson graduated high school at age 16 and was a registered nurse. After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1985, she moved into psychiatric nursing. After retiring, Mrs. Smelkinson did volunteer work chairing community events for organizations… Read more »

Jerry Sorkin, 77, died Feb. 10, 2011. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Mr. Sorkin grew up in Passaic, N.J. , where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Phyllis Cohen. Mr. Sorkin was a captain in the U.S. Air Force before beginning his career in engineering and aerospace… Read more »

Marcia Burstein, 86, died Feb. 10, 2011. Born in Newark, N.J., she lived in Tucson since 1952. Mrs. Burstein was preceded in death by her husband of 31 years, Joel. Survivors include her children, Barbara Burstein of Tucson, and Larry (Linda) Burstein of St. Paul, Minn.; brother, David (Bryna)… Read more »

Sara G. Blumenthal, 91, died Feb. 10, 2011. Mrs. Blumenthal was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin Blumenthal; sister, Bertha Korn and brother, Jacob Schachter. Survivors include her daugher, Sharon (Richard) Walton of Tucson; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Mrs. Blumenthal was an active member of Congregation Anshei… Read more »

Daniel Haiken, 92, died Jan. 19, 2011. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Haiken attended City College of New York before entering the military. As a first lieutenant, he completed 50 combat missions (including the raid on Ploesti) as a B-24 pilot during World War II. His awards included a… Read more »

Mary Johannessen, 85, died December 22, 2010. Born in New York City, Mrs. Johannessen graduated from the High School of Fashion Design in Manhattan. Mrs. Johannessen was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard “Bunny” Johannessen. Survivors include her daughters, Koreen (Ted Seger) Johannessen and Robyn Anyaeji Johannessen, both… Read more »

Miriam Alyce (Harris) Adler, 86, died Jan. 21, 2011. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., and raised in Canton, Ohio, Mrs. Adler attended Ohio State University. After World War II, she resided in Great Neck, N.Y., where she worked at North Shore/Long Island Jewish Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., as the volunteer… Read more »

Sarah Berkowitz Ullman, 97, died Jan. 12, 2011. Born in Rochester, N.Y., Mrs. Ullman lived in Syracuse, N.Y., where she was a secretary for over 20 years at Temple Concord. She lived in Tucson for 25 years. Survivors include her daughter, Karen (Dr. Jeffrey) Katz of Tucson; four grandchildren… Read more »

Rose S. Laz, 87, died Jan. 13, in La Jolla, Calif . Mrs. Laz lived in Tucson for more than 40 years before moving to California in 1987. Survivors include her husband of 63 years, Harold; children, Janice of Camarillo, Calif., and Louis of Prides Crossing, Mass.; three grandchildren,… Read more »

Debbie Friedman, Jewish songwriter and performer, dies.

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — Over the weekend, as singer-songwriter Debbie Friedman lay dying in a hospital bed in Southern California, the call went out to Jewish congregations around the world to pray for the popular musician. But early Sunday morning Friedman, who composed “Mi Shebeirach,” a popular version of… Read more »

Stephanie L. Balch, 30, died unexpectedly Dec. 14, 2010. Beloved daughter, sister, niece, grandchild and friend, she will be remembered as a beautiful, loving and generous person. Private services were held. Arrangements were made by Evergreen Mortuary and Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of… Read more »

Renaye "Ricki" Lehman

Renaye “Ricki” Lehman, 81, died Dec. 13, 2010. Although she was hampered by rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and later Alzheimer’s, Mrs. Lehman was certified by the Library of Congress as a braillist and proofreader. She was a patient instructor in the muscular and skeletal examination program for second year medical… Read more »

Anita Labovitz, 87, died Dec. 5, 2010. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., she volunteered with B’nai B’rith Women. Survivors include her husband of 66 years, Hy; daughters, Susan (Charles) Childers of Tucson and Renee (Peter) Nowell of Phoenix; and three grandchildren. Graveside services were held in the Congregation Anshei Israel… Read more »