Evelyn Bloch

Sep. 6, 1953 – Feb. 9, 2012

In San Francisco at age 58. Beloved daughter of Hans and Ilse Bloch; loving sister of Rene’ Bloch and Auntie to Ben Bloch.

Evy worked at Delta Dental 29 years and brought tremendous joy to everyone around her. She was active with the San Francisco Jewish Chorus and the San Francisco Institute on Aging. Evy was also quite the zealous Giants fan.

She had a spectacular memory remembering everybody’s birthday. Evy was super loyal to her friends and family. Evy was an inspiration and had unbelievable courage despite tremendous barriers brought before her.

No one that has met her can forget her.

Services have been held. Donations can be provided to John Hopkins University Autoimmune Disease Research Center. www.autoimmune.pathology.jhmi.ed

Sinai Memorial Chapel

Doris Livingston Grasshoff

July 12, 1927 – Feb. 6, 2012

Doris embraced every aspect of life, especially sharing its highlights with beloved family and friends: a scenic picnic, a holiday gathering at home, a stirring program at San Francisco Symphony and a bold exhibit at SFMOMA.

She loved lectures at Fromm Institute and was an avid volunteer, independent thinker, terrific chef and gracious hostess. She was enriched by the people who shared these experiences with her — Our Crowd, Midge and friends, various bridge groups, Emanu-El’s Museum Committee … and, of course, extended family, whom she held together with her daisy chain of love.

Born in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany to Greta and Eric Livingston, she survived Kristallnacht (Nov. 9-10, 1938) before emigrating at age 11 with her parents and 5-year-old-sister, Vera, to San Francisco in 1939. Doris graduated from Washington High (’45) and U.C. Berkeley (’49) a Delta Phi Epsilon, with a BS in Public Health.

She married Harold J. Simon, also a German Jewish immigrant to S.F., in 1949 before leaving for Boston, where she worked at Pfizer Labs. They moved to New York City in 1955, where daughters Leslie and Lynne were born.

In 1959, the family relocated to Menlo Park to join the School of Medicine community at Stanford. Then, in 1966 to La Jolla, where Harold helped create U.C. San Diego School of Medicine.

Doris returned to San Francisco in 1973 following her divorce, working in catering and events at the Sheraton Palace, and later with the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association where she designed and taught smoking cessation programs. Doris volunteered with S.F. region of ORT, the Museum Committee and Sisterhood at Temple Emanu-El, JCRC, JFCS, among others. Her second marriage to Richard Grasshoff ended after 22 years in 1997.

She lives on in the hearts of her two daughters, Leslie Simon (La Jolla) and Lynne Simon (Corte Madera), whom her sister credits for extending their mother’s life by at least five years by skillfully managing her care with unwavering intelligence, proactivity and love. She is missed and remembered by her granddaughters Adrienne Simon Krichman and Portia Simon Krichman (La Jolla), sister Vera Livingston Stein (Harold), nephew Peter Livingston Stein (Brian Freeman), niece Deborah Stein Hoffman (Craig) and their children Jessia and Gabriel; nieces Susan Coliver (Bob Herman), Sandra Coliver, Carol Levin (Gary) and daughters, Lori Rosolowsky (Mark) and sons, Renee Hamilton (Paul) and children; stepson Thomas Grasshoff (Rike) and daughter Simone, best friend Midge Kretchmer and many others.

Deepest thanks to her “A” Team of physicians and nurses during the Scleroderma decade, which began with a diagnosis by legendary Dr. Kenneth Fye and continued with handpicked teams from CPMC and UCSF supported by the loving care at San Francisco Towers. Her extraordinary quarterbacks, Drs.Tamiko Katsumoto and Marilyn Kutzscher, among many others, helped extend Doris’ charmed run until her graceful, mindful death.

Services were held Feb. 12 at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. Contributions to honor Doris’ life may be made in her name to San Francisco Symphony; the Elizabeth S. Fine Museum at Temple Emanu-El; and the UCSF Foundation, P.O. Box 45339, S.F., CA 94145-0339 (please write “Rosalind Russell Arthritis Center — for Scleroderma Research” on memo line).

Florence Kricsfeld

Florence Goldstein Kricsfeld, age 95, of Omaha, Nebraska passed away Feb. 3, 2012 surrounded by loved ones. She was born in New York City, lived in Denver, Colorado and then moved to Omaha when she married the late Joseph Kricsfeld and had two children, Karen Weiner and Dr. Barry Kricsfeld.

Florence was very active in the community, a member of both Beth Israel and Temple Israel Sisterhoods and Hadassah. She was an avid card and mahjong player. She loved to share time with friends and family.

Florence was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Kricsfeld, her sister, Dorothy Suson, and her brother, Archie Goldstein. Florence is survived by her brothers Benjamin Goldstein and Martin Goldstein (Eileen), her loving children Karen Weiner (Rabbi Martin) and Dr. Barry Kricsfeld (Barbara), her adoring Grandchildren Rabbi Daniel Weiner (Cindy), Ellen Stross (Randy), Elizabeth Engel (Joshua), Dr. Alan Kricsfeld (Deborah), Dr. David Kricsfeld (Anya), and Michael Kricsfeld (Megan), Jennifer Coppa, and Kristin Coppa.

Florence was blessed with ten great-grandchildren and many nephews and nieces. Florence’s memory will always be a blessing for her dear ones.

Anna Lorincz

Feb. 28, 1928 – Feb. 11, 2012

In San Francisco at age 83. Beloved wife of Michael Lorincz for 35 years; loving mother of Eva Mereciy, Kathy Stern-Kasparov (Konstantin Kasparov), Erica Weinberger and Alice Kalman; adored grandmother of Andrew, Lillian, Dena and Robert; dear great-grandmother of Mia and Katlyn.

Anna was a Holocaust survivor. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

Funeral services were held Feb. 14 at Eternal Home Cemetery, Colma. Donations to Congregation Adath Israel, 1851 Noriega St., S.F., CA 94122, preferred.

Sinai Memorial Chapel

Joseph Starr

Joe Starr was born in Portland, Maine on Nov. 1, 1918, the son of Ida (Morrison) and Max Star.

A promising athlete in his youth, Joe became a professional baseball player. He played first base for the Somerset Dodgers, a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. An arm injury during his second year prevented him from achieving his dream of reaching the major leagues.

Instead, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with distinction with the “Army Air Forces” in World War II. He was cited for his courage and bravery and was awarded the Bronze Battle Star.

During the war, he was stationed for a time in California, and while there, he met Ruth Silver. They fell in love and were married on Jan. 21, 1945. After the war, Joe joined Ruth in San Francisco and worked in the linen industry for many years. Joe and Ruth would remain deeply in love for the rest of their lives. Joe lovingly called Ruth “Honey” and always referred to her as “my darling wife.”

Joe was loyal, hardworking, honest, good-hearted, and extremely generous. He was kind to everyone. He drew inspiration from his faith. He had a beautiful singing voice and a great sense of humor.

Joe and Ruth organized numerous fundraisers to support their synagogue, Congregation Adath Israel, and AMIT Women. Their bus trips to Reno, Nevada, that they hosted several times a year were especially popular.

Joe and Ruth traveled all over the world, including to Israel. While in Alaska, Joe won a ping-pong tournament.

Despite Joe’s earlier ties to the Dodgers, he and Ruth became passionate San Francisco Giants fans when the baseball team moved to the City by the Bay in 1958. Joe and Ruth joyfully rooted the Giants to their first World Series championship in 2010. They were loyal San Francisco 49ers fans, too.

In April 1999, the couple moved to the Magnolia of Millbrae. Joe was affectionately known as the “Mayor of the Magnolia” and was beloved for the entertaining way he would call bingo games. He would make the games fun by adding a “quack, quack” when he’d call out the number “22” (because the numbers looked like two little ducks) and would make other sounds and humorous quips and observations when calling out the various numbers.

Joe and Ruth had 66 wonderful years together before Ruth passed away on Oct. 27, 2011. They were the last of the Magnolia’s original residents.

Joe passed away at his home in Millbrae on Feb. 9, 2012. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Starr; parents, Max and Ida Star; brothers, Manny (and Edna) Star and Jack Starr; sisters, Ethel (and Harry) Gursky and Betty (and David) Avrech; parents-in-law, Aaron and Regina Silver; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Samuel and Phoebe Silver. He is survived by a niece, Leatrice Gursky Lacher, and two nephews and their families: Leon and Beverly Avrech and their children and grandchildren, and Stephen and Shoshana Silver and their son Samuel Jared Silver.

Joe is also survived by many close friends, including Goldie and Martin Sosnick, Marcia Sosnick, Sandy and Jack Osheroff, Linda Klein, Sybil and Jack Waxman, Ava and Eric Brand, and Chris and Cynthia Rose.

Joe may have fallen short of the major leagues as a baseball player, but as a husband, son, brother, uncle and friend, he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed.

Contributions in Joe Starr’s memory may be made to Congregation Adath Israel, 1851 Noriega St., S.F., CA 94122, or to AMIT Women, 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Sinai Memorial Chapel