Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.

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Edith Deutsch

Jan. 21, 1925–July 3, 2022

Edith Deutsch passed away after a very full life at the age of 97.

She is survived by her sons: Peter (Cathy) and Ken (Shirley); by her adoring grandchildren: Natalie (Brian), Marion (Vernis), Kelly (Cynthia), Lauren (Dan); and great-grandchildren: Abigale, Brooke and George (Brisbin), Kayn and Kaylani (Deutsch) and “Jett” (James).

Edith was born in Arnswalde, Germany, on Jan. 21, 1925, to Lotte and Fritz Abrahamofsky. She was the middle of three children: older brother Edward (Cita) and younger sister Carol (Stanley) Rogoway.

They moved to Berlin in 1934, fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and resettled in Shanghai, where they lived for 10 years — changing their names to Adams in the process.

In 1946 she married Karl Geza Deutsch of Vienna, Austria. After the birth of their son Peter in 1948, they fled China for Australia in 1949, before being sponsored to the United States and arriving in Portland, Oregon, in the fall of 1951.

Edith and Karl moved from Portland to San Francisco in 1953 and welcomed their new son, Kenneth Geza, in 1954, to their first residence in the Richmond District. The family moved again to their own place in the Sunset District in 1955.

At 11:44 a.m. on March 22, 1957, while Edith, Karl and Peter were taking the oath of allegiance to become proud American citizens, a 5.7 earthquake rocked San Francisco.

Edith made a welcoming home on Lawton Street. She was an accomplished cook and supported her husband fully in his chosen profession in the hotel business. They made a handsome couple who had good friends and hosted wonderful dinner parties.

Edith was a loving sister-in-law to Regina and Theodore Deutsch, aunt to Rick (Becky) Rogoway and David (Lori) Rogoway, Irene Deutsch and Judy (Walter) Blum.

Edith became the primary caregiver when her dear Karl was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and continued in that capacity for over 20 years when they moved to their last home together in San Mateo in 1991.

Edith always had an inquiring mind. She enjoyed reading, going to the ballet, attending the opera, visiting all kinds of museums and was quite proficient in bridge.

Mom loved to travel. There were few places in the world that she had not visited either with Karl, family or friends.

For over 50 years, she was part of a “girls” lunch that met regularly to discuss events and what was happening with their families.

Edith began volunteering in 1991 at the information desk at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City, retiring after 18 years of service to her community.

In 2016, Mom moved in with Shirley and Ken in Foster City, where she now had her family around her full-time, including visits or through “FaceTime” with family and friends.

Many thanks to all of Mom’s devoted caregivers, with a special heartfelt appreciation to Francesca and Mele for all of your loving assistance and kindness.

“Nani,” as she was called by her four grandchildren, made the best matzo ball soup and enjoyed celebrating the Jewish holidays with her family and close friends around her.

Per her wishes, no public funeral or memorial service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living is welcomed.

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Ardyce Felix

Nov. 9, 1924–June 22, 2022

Ardyce Felix passed away on a warm June evening in her apartment at Liv Generations Assisted Living in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the ripe old age of 97. Within eight days of her death, her husband of 74 years, Stanley Felix, passed away, too. Ardyce is survived by her sister, Marilyn Jacobs, three daughters (Judith Adler, Margot Zaterman and Stefanie Felix), seven grandchildren (Aron Adler, Matt Adler, Max Green, Mitchell Green, Amy Zaterman, Danny Zaterman and Brent Zaterman) and 10 great-grandchildren (Kayla and Caden Adler, Shayna, Zach and Sam Adler, Rudy Green, Henry and Bennett Green, Sloane Seltzer and Lily James Hirsch Zaterman).

She had a very rich life, full of family love, world travel, community service and intellectual curiosity. Her love of dance began in childhood in San Jose, California, where she performed in local events. She developed lifelong friendships from that time.

Her beauty, physical strength, agility and style distinguished her. Lively and energetic, she had an infectious laugh and formidable language skills which sprang from her extensive study of Latin. She graduated from UC Berkeley.

Ardyce volunteered her talents and services to causes she believed in. With the National Council of Jewish Women drama troupe, she performed in plays for audiences of developmentally and physically disabled children and had a special place in her heart for them. She also worked with Alzheimer’s patients as respite for caregivers at the Contra Costa County Jewish Community Center.

In addition, at the JCC, Stanley established an endowment in her honor, The Ardyce Felix Performing Arts Fund.

She and Stan enjoyed beautiful homes always filled with music and song. They also traveled far and wide.

Perhaps the most important contributions of Ardyce’s and Stan’s life together were creating and nurturing their beloved children and engaging with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Deeply caring, fun, loving and entertaining, she will be missed but remain in our hearts always.

We wish to acknowledge the wonderful caregiving provided by Endeavor staff with Jessica Marcano and Kelley Leanne Hamby, so devoted that they became part of the family.

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Ruth Shear Reznikoff

June 28, 1917–Feb. 15, 2022

Ruth passed away peacefully at the age of 104. Daughter of Abe and Anna Shear, she was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. Ruth’s long and rich life spanned 11 decades and two pandemics. She attributed her long and healthy life to her genetics, saying, “I picked the right parents!” They fostered her love of learning early, introducing her to the nearby library and letting her take home as many books as she could carry.

She graduated from University High in St. Louis, and received a BS in science from University of Missouri (where she also met her future husband, Simon Reznikoff). She chose a career in dietetics — pursuing her interest in biology, chemistry and good food. Ruth worked as a registered dietitian at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, and at the Heart Association after the family moved to San Diego. In the early ’60s, Ruth developed a newspaper and radio program, “Dial-A-Dietitian,” helping people modify their recipes to reduce cholesterol. She inspired San Diego–based Jack in the Box to include salads as a healthy menu option — now common at all fast-food restaurants.

In San Diego, Si and Ruth nurtured the growth of the cultural and intellectual life of the city, hosting book clubs, musical evenings and dinner groups, as well as taking leadership roles at Temple Beth Israel, the Jewish Community Center and the San Diego Symphony. After Si died in 1980, Ruth exhibited her legendary resiliency and continued to enjoy life. She married Seymour Kremen of Coronado and together they traveled extensively.

In 2013, at the age of 96, she became the oldest “new” resident at San Francisco Towers, a retirement community. She loved her active life at the Towers and made many new friends who were inspired by her unquenchable thirst for knowledge. True to her lifelong passion for science, her final wish was to donate her brain to research to advance the study of healthy aging.

Ruth outlived her parents and younger siblings Sidney and Maxine. She will be missed by her daughters Carolyn Reznikoff (David Porter), June Reznikoff (David Simon) and Laura Olson (Stephen Olson); granddaughters Erika Zarco (Travis Higginson), Sasha Porter (Pyxie Star) and Charlotte Simon; nieces Claudia Bernard (Howard Herman) and Nancy Bernard.

Memorial services were held in March.

Donations may be made to her favorite nonprofits: San Diego Symphony and San Diego Art Museum; Pocket Opera and Congregation Sherith Israel in S.F., and the Brain Bank at UCLA.

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Irwin Sheldon Weiss

Jan. 26, 1933–June 28, 2022

Irwin Sheldon Weiss (Irv), resident of Danville, California, age 89, passed away peacefully at his home after struggling with various illnesses over the past few years.

Irwin was born and raised in San Francisco, attended Washington High School, University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, San Francisco, for pharmacy school. Irwin served in the U.S. Army as a medic in Korea. Irwin retired as a pharmacist in 2002 to care for his beloved wife Sharon who passed away in 2011 after 52 wonderful years of marriage. Irwin brought a smile to every room he entered and enjoyed life to the fullest.

Irwin is survived by his children, Gregory Weiss (60), Elisa Weiss (58) and Barry Weiss (56); grandchildren, Garrett Weiss (31), Kyle Weiss (29), Kira Weiss (24), Leighann Tashjian (16), Layton Tashjian (14); daughters-in-law, Lisa Weiss and Karen Weiss; a very loving family; and dear friends.

A funeral service and burial was held July 1, 2022, at Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma. The family requests any donations in Irwin’s honor be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation or the American Diabetes Foundation.

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