Steffi Gelb, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died Wednesday morning. Steffi, from Breslau, Germany, fled to Shanghai in 1939, eventually meeting and marrying Fritz, her husband of 69 years. Steffi is survived by Fritz, sons Robert and Philip, daughters-in-law Johanna and Diane, grandchildren Joshua, Rachel, Leslie and Benjamin, and great-grandson Fritz. Steffi will be deeply missed and not forgotten.
A. Arthur Hirschhorn, a resident of San Francisco and the Peninsula for almost 70 years, died on Nov. 4 at his home after a short illness. He was 91 years of age.
Mr. Hirschhorn reached this area in 1947. After spending 25 years in the property insurance field as an executive responsible for data processing and accounting departments, Mr. Hirschhorn founded Professional Retirement Services in 1972, a pension and profit sharing consulting firm serving a roster of small businesses and corporations in the Bay Area and throughout California (now called Primark Benefits). Mr. Hirschhorn remained with Professional Retirement Services in the capacity of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 1991.
Mr. Hirschhorn was involved in a number of professional, fraternal and religious organizations. He was a member of the board of the Western Pension Conference, a member of the American Society of Pension Actuaries, the Data Processing Management Association, the National Society of Public Accountants and the West Coast Statistical Committee of the NBCU.
Mr. Hirschhorn was a member of many fraternal organizations such as ORT, B’nai B’rith, board of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and many others.
His religious endeavors in synagogues and other Jewish organizations included service as treasurer of the board of directors of Sinai Memorial Chapel for a number of years and as an honorary director at the time of his passing, and as chairman of the Business Loan Committee of Hebrew Free Loan. Here, too, he served on the Honorary Advisory Council. He also served as treasurer and president of Congregation B’nai Israel in Daly City and treasurer of Adath Israel Congregation in San Francisco.
Mr. Hirschhorn was born on Jan. 4, 1925, in Lancut, Poland. He migrated to the United States in November of 1947 after having spent nearly six years in ghettos and forced labor/concentration camps. He lost his family in the death camps of Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz.
He was a graduate of San Francisco State University and attended many postgraduate courses in the financial and statistical area in various colleges in the Bay Area.
Mr. Hirschhorn married Mimi Dobrow in 1978. They resided on the San Francisco Peninsula. Mimi passed away in 2003. He is survived by his daughter Jeanine of Haifa, Israel, and his stepchildren Marcy Dobrow (Joe Friedman), Bonny (Joe Mannina), Stephen (Donna Dobrow) and David (Charlene Dobrow). He was also a grandfather to numerous stepgrandchildren. He was predeceased by stepdaughters Rachel (Frank Howard), Helen Dobrow and former spouse Freida Hirschhorn.
Services were held under the direction of Sinai Memorial Chapel. Donations in lieu of flowers to Women’s American ORT or Chabad of the North Peninsula are preferred.
Sinai Memorial Chapel
(415) 921-3636
Nov. 4, 1924–Oct. 4, 2016
Adele Lemonow Katzen, 91, passed away on her own terms in her Berkeley home from age-related causes. She was pain-free and lucid to the end.
Born in Philadelphia, Adele was the daughter of Hannah and Jacob Lemonow and sister of Ruth Kamens. She attended West Philadelphia High and Temple University. She met her husband of 56 years, Harry R. Katzen, on a blind date. They raised their three children in Melrose Park in the Philadelphia suburbs, then moved to Berkeley in 1984 and fell in love with it. “Oh, this California!” she loved to say.
A bookkeeper for many years in Philadelphia, Adele became an HR executive in her later working years. She was president of the Hannah Szenes Chapter of Hadassah, and was part of the Women’s Liberation Movement, of which she was very proud. She also participated in a women’s group for over 20 years and was a member of the Elder’s Guild in Berkeley.
Beloved mother, aunt, friend, cousin, grandmother and great-grandmother, Adele was loved by so many because she was interested in each person. It felt good to be around her. “Nobody Kvells like Adele” became our motto. Adele was our power-of-love warrior to her last day.
She is survived by her children Sam (Tsoi) Katzen, Sharon Deutch and Jessica Behrman; grandchildren Alex Katzen, Dani (Rob) del Rosario, Nomi (Michael) Moradzadeh and Kira (Dan) Linsky; and great-grandchildren Chloe and Fiona del Rosario, Avigail, Arielle and David Moradzadeh.
Barbara Slobodkin Konowitz passed away peacefully from a brief illness on Nov. 4 at the Reutlinger Community in Danville where she was an active, involved and vibrant resident for nine years. She celebrated her 90th birthday just one week before her death.
Originally from Boston, Barbara came to the Bay Area 20 years ago to join her two daughters, Amy Zinman of Oakland and Ellen Cervellon of Piedmont, and their families. In addition to her daughters, Barbara is survived by granddaughters Sara Romani of El Cajon and Jessica Cervellon of Los Angeles, great-grandchildren Stella and Louis Romani, sons-in-law Michael Smith of Oakland and Tom McElveen of Piedmont, and grandson-in-law Vito Romani of El Cajon.
Barbara will be greatly missed by family, friends and the Reutlinger Community, where she served as head of the Residents Council and representative to the board of directors. Donations in her memory may be made to the Reutlinger Community, 4000 Camino Tassajara, Danville, CA 94506. Condolences may be sent to the family c/o Amy Zinman, 5801 Leona St., Oakland, CA 94605 or [email protected].
Our beloved Jean Kraft died Oct. 2, 2016. She was preceded in death by her adoring husband of 73 years, Nathan Kraft, in August 2015. They spent the last 20 years living in the East Bay so they could be near their daughter. The majority of their lives, 40 years, was spent at their wonderful home in Atherton. It was there that they created a family of love and memories and a world filled with warmth and kindness, wonderful family meals, humor and grace to all who knew them. Jean and Nate were the light in the lives of their family and friends — a magnet of unbounding love. They will be forever missed by their daughter, grandchildren, sister, brother-in-law and friends, as well as being an adored aunt and uncle.
Myron H. Marshall, M.D. (Mike, Mikee to his family) died Nov. 7, after a relatively brief illness, of pancreatic cancer which had metastasized to the liver.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Barbara; his children Kenneth (Marie), Sharon and Jennifer (Scott); and his grandchildren, Jack, Ellen, Star, Ingrid and Axel. Mike graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School; Harper College in Binghamton, New York; and the State University of New York at Buffalo Medical School where he met Barbara. He served in the Army, Navy, and Public Health Service, and retired as Lieutenant Commander.
Mike was a practicing psychiatrist turned entrepreneur. Early in his career, he helped change the language in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, removing homosexuality from the list of psychiatric disorders. He founded TriCare, a medical-legal services company, and took it public. He was the lead venture capitalist and director of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS). He served two terms as a director for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and he served as an adviser to the San Francisco Police Department’s Behavioral Science Unit.
Mike loved living in San Francisco, meeting people and sharing stories with old friends and new. He enjoyed sailing, skiing, golf, family vacations, the symphony, ballet and museums. He loved spending a day exploring Marin, and his solo time in the mountains. Mike had a childlike excitement for the world around him, he relished in the successes of his family, and he had a great sense of humor.
The family will gather privately to honor Mike. Donations in Mike’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice.