Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Eleanor Aronovsky
Nov. 30, 1928–March 24, 2024
Eleanor Aronovsky passed away in Daly City on March 24 at the age of 95. Eleanor was married for 52 years to the late George Aronovsky, whom she considered not only her husband but also her best friend and hero.
Eleanor was the loving mother of Ronald, Marsha, and Susan and mother-in-law of Laurie, and the doting grandmother of Sarah and Adam. Eleanor was the caring daughter of Riva and Michael Milovich and the adoring sister of Mary Shapiro. Eleanor was born and raised in San Francisco, where she attended Argonne Elementary School, Lafayette Elementary School, Presidio Junior High School, and Washington High School. She graduated from San Francisco State University, where she majored in Education and minored in Art and Music. Eleanor was a teacher at Madison Elementary School in San Francisco. She later was the Office Manager for Aronovsky & Associates in Daly City. She had a great sense of humor that was a source of pleasure to family, friends, and strangers alike.
Eleanor was warm, witty, generous, patient, artistic, creative, empathetic, intelligent, humble, supportive, and insightful. The joy of her life was her family. She loved her family deeply, and her family loved her. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
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Wayne Ellis Batavia
Aug. 31, 1954–March 27, 2024
Wayne Ellis Batavia was born Aug. 31, 1954, and passed away on March 27, 2024. He was the youngest child of George and Katherine Batavia, survived by his wife of 42 years, Melissa, and older siblings Leslie (Stan) DeLugach and Clyde (Gail) Batavia.
A lifelong Bay Area resident, Wayne attended Skyline High School, where he was Student Body President, then University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in Business with a concentration in Real Estate. His one year away from the Golden State he spent at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned his Master’s of Science in Real Estate, and soon returned with his beloved dog, Shade. His career spanned 30 years as a Real Estate Developer and Consultant that brought him a great sense of accomplishment and joy.
Wayne met his wife Melissa “Missy” Kane on a blind date and they remained married from 1981 until his passing. They have two children, Julia and Margaret (Colleen), with whom Wayne enjoyed spending as much time as possible: whether walking the dog, playing sports, watching movies, going camping, or eating dinner together every night after he got home from work. Wayne loved his family, and spending time with them was his greatest passion.
Over the years, Wayne enjoyed being and doing many things: an active member at Temple Sinai, Oakland, and the greater Jewish community, a member of two wine tasting groups, a softball player as well as coach, avid skier, cyclist, proud Porsche driver, but above all, a steadfast friend to the many people who loved him, and whom he loved in return.
The family requests, in honor of Wayne’s memory with a nod to his untimely death brought on by his long battle with Lewy Body Dementia, that donations be made to the Brain Support Network for the advancement of research in brain diseases. The website is brainsupportnetwork.org.
Adele Seltzer
April 29, 1937–March 15, 2024
Adele was born in New Jersey on April 29, 1937, to William and Muriel Wishnow and was raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, with her two sisters, Rhoda and Reba. She met her husband of 61 years, Ronald Anthony Seltzer, while receiving a BS and MS in Educational Psychology at University of Pennsylvania. Ronald was an intern at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital when they met. Adele is survived by her two children, Lauren, her husband, Robert Roskoph, and Jeff, his wife Marilyn Hartnett, and her five beloved grandchildren, Adin, Myles, Shayna, Cameron, and Mia.
Driven by a life-long love of the Arts, Adele returned to school for a Master of Fine Arts at San Jose State University. For more than three decades, she not only taught printmaking and painting, she also worked in the Art Department at Stanford University, taught at Art institutions and established her own design studio as an independent Artist. Throughout the course of her professional journey, Adele participated in a plethora of group exhibits at institutions throughout the US and in Germany.
Additionally, Adele’s work was featured at solo exhibitions throughout the US from Palo Alto to Chelsea, NYC, to Washington, D.C. Adele’s work can be found in many public and private collections in the United States and Europe. For over twenty years her art has been represented by Katherine Markel in NYC, in the Haasner in Germany, and in the SFMOMA Artists Gallery.
In June 2021 Adele was included in the Marquis Who’s Who in America. She has also won accolades from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and was nominated twice for their prestigious SICA award. In addition to her passion as an artist, she also enjoyed mentoring other artists. She also contributed to her community through her involvement with Together Women Rise, the SLV for the San Francisco Symphony, the Palo Alto Women’s Group and the Smuin Dance Company. Adele’s love of dance and music flowed through her work.
Adele and her late husband, Ron, shared their love for travel with their extended family. Adele cherished her time at the beach and ocean and instilled this love and connection with her children and grandchildren. Her fondest memories are of her time at Stinson Beach, and she is eternally grateful for the family memories, including thirty consecutive Thanksgivings at their second home in Stinson Beach. She truly embodied a life well lived.
Contributions can be made in Adele’s honor to Peninsula Open Space Trust, Silicon Valley League, San Francisco Symphony and/or the Palo Alto Art Center.