Lova Blumenkranc (Leon Blum) passed away January 10, 2011 at 62 years of age. Devoted father to Jaclyn Guelfi and Rachel Blum, grandfather to the “apple of his eye” Gianna Guelfi, loving son and brother to Sam Blumenkranc and Sonia Simon.
Memorial Services will be held January 16th, 10 a.m. at Home of Peace Jewish Cemetery, 1299 El Camino Real, Colma.
The family of Robert S. Gottesman is sad to announce his sudden death on January 1, 2011.
Bob was born on October 7, 1929 in Buffalo, New York, to Samuel J. Gottesman and Ida LeBret Gottesman. He attended school in Buffalo and was an active member of the Boy Scouts earning his Eagle Rank. He received his B.A. in Business and a LLB from the University of Buffalo Law School. Following his graduation from the University of Buffalo, he attended Harvard Law School and obtained an LLM degree (Doctor of Law).
Upon graduating from Harvard Law School, he enrolled in the U.S. Army and was accepted into the JAG (Judge Advocates Group) as a first Lieutenant. He spent three years in the Army serving in Germany. Upon returning to the U.S., he decided to see the country, and drove his car heading West. When he got to San Francisco, he fell in love with the City and stayed. He took and passed the California Bar Exam (he also passed the N. Y. Bar Exam) and went to work as an attorney in downtown S.F. at the grand salary of $300 a month.
In 1958, he met his future wife, Shirley Charvonia, and they were married on August 14, 1959. After the births of their first two children, the family moved to Greenbrae (Marin County) and had two more children there. Bob practiced law as a single practitioner for over 50 years, specializing in Business law, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury cases. He was an exceptional lawyer and a lovely, warm, and caring human being.
Bob and Shirley enjoyed traveling to exotic places starting from the first year they were married. They traveled to every continent and hundreds of countries over the 51 years of their marriage. Recent trips found them climbing mountains in Rwanda to visit the gorillas, seeing the lemurs in Madagascar and snorkeling the reefs in the Philippine Islands. They loved to snorkel which took them to many beautiful, remote places in the world. He also was an excellent tennis player and loved playing the game with his Albert Court “Club” partners. He was playing tennis up until his death. He also loved to walk in the hills of Greenbrae everyday.
Bob’s greatest joy, however, was his family. His sons, Jim and Michael, daughters, Leslie and Nancy, and his 9 grandchildren gave him much pride and happiness. Bob is survived by his wife, Shirley Charvonia Gottesman of Greenbrae; his brother Lloyd Gottesman (Sheila) of Buffalo, N.Y. and Boynton Beach, Florida; his son, Jim of Greenbrae, daughter Leslie Steinberg (Alan) of San Jose, son Michael Gottesman (Bonnie Wolf) of Redwood City, and daughter Nancy Mann (Harold) of Greenbrae, and his nine wonderful Grandchildren, Joshua, Rachel, Dani, Noah, Nathan, Zachary, Jacob, Jordan and Lauren. He loved his family, and was loved in return. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity. Services were held on Thursday, January 6th, at Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, CA.
Sylvia Gross, longtime resident of Oakland, died January 10. Predeceased by Harry, her loving husband of 50 years. Survived by her on Stanley (Joan) and daughter Susan (Misha); grandsons Kevin(Lisa), Andrew (Michelle), and Gary (Lani), and grandchildren Rebecca, Talia, Daniel and Sydney.
A memorial service was held Thursday at 2 p.m. at St. Paul’s Towers, 100 Bay Place, Oakland. The family suggests donations may be made to Temple Sinai (First Hebrew Congregation), 2808 Summit Street, Oakland CA 94609, or a charity of your choice.
Kathaleen “Kay” Grace Springmeyer, 93, died peacefully on January 5, 2011. Kay was born in Elko, Nevada on August 14, 1917. Her parents were William Edgar (former mayor of Carson City) and Mary Wallace. Kay worked as a secretary for many years, first for the Nevada State Department of Education and then for Washoe County School District until she retired in 1980. Her husband Lester and her two sisters, Genevieve and Cecilia, pre-deceased her. She is survived by her daughter Sharry and son-in-law Paul Schwarzbart of San Rafael, and many nieces and nephews.
She was a member of the Neighbors of Woodcraft, Board of Directors’ wives of the Far West Equipment Association and the Reno Executives Club.
Kay was an avid gardener. She especially loved roses and spent many happy hours with Les keeping their yard and garden looking gorgeous. Every year for many years their raspberry patch produced delicious fruit. Kay always walked wherever she wanted to go, and she had an iron will and determination to proceed in spite of offers of a ride from friends or neighbors. She was a Leo and sometimes said she had to “roar” a little. Her temper was quick, but the storm was just as quickly over.
Kay was meticulous about her house and her appearance. She used to say we should look “like we just stepped out of a band box,” freshly pressed and looking sharp. She was an accomplished seamstress who made her own clothes when she was younger, and later in life she used to create fantastic ornaments and decorations. She loved children, and she and Les were always happy to have the family or neighborhood young ones around. She was a generous friend, an excellent cook (her desserts were beautiful: perfect angel food cakes with strawberries and whipped cream, peach pies, Boston cream pies).
Kay had an old-fashioned (but never out of style) sense of right and wrong, and was not afraid to express her opinion. Most of all, she was the beloved wife of Lester and much-loved mother of Sharry. We will miss her cheerful attitude of love greatly. Forever in our hearts…
Burial and graveside service took place at Mountain View Cemetery in Reno at 3 p.m. on Friday, January 7, 2011. In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity.
unveiling
Unveiling for George Maisels, Sunday, January 23, 10:30 a.m. at Eternal Home, Colma.