Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Nicholas Germanacos
July 20, 1940–March 24, 2026
Born in Limassol, Cyprus, on July 20, 1940, Nick died in San Francisco on March 24, 2026. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Anne Hymes Germanacos, their sons, Constantine (Jason Patrick Sands) and Alexander (Courtney Malachowski), and a granddaughter. In addition, two children from a first marriage, Albertina and Chris (Jill), and six grandchildren. As a teacher, poet and translator, Nick deeply touched many lives. Donations to Ayin Press, N.C. Germanacos Poetry Award.
Leona “Lorraine” Cleaner
Liba bat Dvora v Shmuel Dov Behr
May 28, 1936–April 3, 2026
Lorraine Cleaner passed away in Florida on April 3, 2026. She was born to Russian immigrants in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Lorraine moved to the U.S. (where she would gain U.S. citizenship) in the 1950s and met her husband, Stanley Cleaner (of blessed memory), at a Jewish Community Center dance in San Francisco. Married a year later, the couple eventually resided in South San Francisco where they raised their two sons, Mark (Lisa) and Murray (Andrea). Together, Stan and Lorraine owned and operated Town and Country Billiards in Daly City, CA, for almost 40 years.
Lorraine was formerly a member of B’nai B’rith, American Mizrahi Women (AMIT), and Congregation Adath Israel in San Francisco and B’nai Israel in Daly City. Together with her friends, she championed the many causes that support women and Jewish social services in the Bay Area. In Lincoln Hills, CA, she was a member of the Shalom Club. In Century Village in Boca Raton, FL, she was a member of the Canadian Club and the Williamsburg, Brooklyn Club.
In 2009, Lorraine and Stan followed their children to the Sacramento area and moved to Sun City, Lincoln Hills. Together with their two sons, their spouses, and their 5 grandchildren (David, Rena, Jennifer, Selena, and Lauren) they attended Chabad of Placer County services and events. Lorraine was always quick with a smile and a story of her grandchildren and the four great-grandchildren (Noa, Maya, Ella, and Sean) that came in her golden years.
Her passing came the day after this year’s second Seder, which she spent with her East Coast nieces and nephews in North Miami Beach, FL. Lorraine reveled in Yiddishkeit and was happiest around Jewish holiday events and family simchas. Adored by her family and community, Lorraine enjoyed musical, dance, comedy, and theatrical productions, world travel, and was an avid hockey fan. She will be greatly missed by her loving family and friends.
Lorraine was buried at Eternal Home Cemetery in Colma, CA, on April 7.
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In Memoriam
Caroline (Carrie) Appel Schoenbach
March 29, 1928–Jan. 20, 2025
Carrie Schoenbach was born in Philadelphia, PA, in 1928 to Bessie (Kivnick) Appel and Harry C. Appel, immigrants from Russia and Romania, respectively. She and her brother Albert Appel grew up living in an apartment above their parents’ upholstery shop. She started learning violin at a young age, a skill that gave her great pleasure later in life. She attended Girls’ High School in Philadelphia and then went on to earn her BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
At 14 she met Uri Schoenbach, a classmate of her brother Albert. They fell in love, and corresponded through his army and her college years. They married in 1948 and raised their family of three children in the countryside outside of Philadelphia, PA.
In 1963, following a job opportunity for Uri, the family moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where Carrie thrived. She worked at the National Institutes of Health, earned a master’s degree in statistics, and working with her mentor Melvin Kohn, became a published sociologist studying personality and the workplace.
She loved to host chamber music groups and serve the delicious baked goods for which she was well known. She was an avid gardener, a steady friend to many people, and organized music concert fundraisers for a non-profit group feeding people in need. She was involved in synagogue choirs and became Bat Mitzvah at age 63. For over 10 years, she shared her house and life with a young family, becoming a “second grandmother” to the two young girls. She cared for Uri during his long illness and for her mother in her last years. Uri and her mother both passed away in 1987.
Carrie met Joseph Levine a few years later and they quickly fell in love. They were married in 2006 and moved to The Redwoods, a retirement community in Mill Valley, California in 2008.
There they both became integral members of the community, demonstrating with the weekly “Seniors for Peace” group on the corner, distributing food from nearby grocery stores to the Redwoods community, and inviting new Redwoods residents for dinners in their home.
They also both expanded their interests with Joseph taking drumming and poetry classes and Carrie participating in a memoir writing class and Japanese watercolor class. Carrie continued to play violin into her 90s and became famous for baking hundreds of pieces of strudel for an annual community fair. She became a key part of Joseph’s vibrant family. Joseph passed away in 2022.
Carrie is survived by her three children, Ruth Schoenbach (Lynn Eden), David Schoenbach (Stephanie Ozer), and Hannah Schoen Caratti (Vince Caratti), and grandchildren Gabe Schoenbach and Maris Buesser; also by Joseph’s sons Daniel Levine (Judith Levine), Jeremy Levine (Lisa Hite), Sasha Cuttler (Lauren Cuttler), and David Levine (Sibylle Brodmann), and grandchildren Sarah Levine Woodard, Amy Levine, Eli Hite Levine, Mariah Levine García, Ida Cuttler, Harriet Cuttler, Janosch Bastian Levine, Elli Milena Levine, and great-grandchildren Jonah García, Ezra García, and Berol Sheldon Schuster.