Book of Memories

We’re here today to mourn the passing but also to honor the life of Arnold Freedman, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. Arnie has been very sick, and thanks to Marcia and terrific doctors and nurses, he really got the best care; this was just his time. And so we want to think not about his passing but about his life. He lived a good and constructive and loving life. (more…)

So last Thursday night, I had a dream. I dream every night, and I rarely remember anything but little clips, but this one is as clear to me as all of you are to me right now. Burt and I are at some place that I don’t recognize, but it seems to be a summer place or carnival where people at different windows are selling different things. Burt looks great; he has his color, he’s at his regular weight, he’s healthy and vital. I’m buying Burt lunch, and he orders something, and I say, “Burt, you can’t have that when you’re with me. And besides, I’m buying.” And Burt gives me this smile; you know the smile I’m talking about, it’s his unique, happy, pleasant smile, and I realize that he ordered the chazarai just to bust my chops and get a reaction from me. We buy something appropriate, and then I start gabbing with Edie about grandchildren, and that’s all I can remember. (more…)

We’re here today to mourn the passing but also to honor the life of Donald Perlroth, beloved husband, father, grandfather, pillar of the community, and cherished friend.
Donald was born here in New Haven to his loving parents Morris and Minnie. He grew up with his siblings Barbara, Sherman and George and they would always be close. (more…)

We’re here today to mourn the passing but also to honor and cherish the life of Myrna Kagan, beloved wife, mother, sister, and cherished friend.
We know that this was her time, and we are at peace with her passing. The righteous die on Shabbos, with Shabbos being the symbol of eternal rest, and so Myrna passed away on the Sabbath. (more…)

If you would have given me fifty names of people I know, and you would have said, “Who is the least likely to pass away?” I would have said Floyd Parness. I saw him last week at a service here; he was perfectly fine, in better shape than anyone I know. So for all of you who cannot understand what we’re doing here, we’re all in the same state.

As far as we can tell, he died while he was running. I like to think that he never knew what happened. I like to think that he’s still running. And in our minds, he will always be that quietly inspiring runner who taught us how to run our own races. (more…)

We’re here today to mourn the passing but also to honor the life of Helene Axelrod, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and cherished friend. Helene had had more than her share of medical problems for a long time now, and so we all thought we were emotionally prepared for this. But in a way, none of us are ever prepared, because the reality of a loved one’s passing is always different from our anticipation of the passing. Helene passed away very suddenly at home, and it’s not just a platitude to say that she did not suffer. But it is going to take a while to really understand that she’s gone. (more…)

We’re here today to mourn the passing but also to honor and cherish the life of Marvin Rosenfeld, beloved husband and father and cherished friend. Marvin’s passing was completely unexpected and we’re having trouble grasping that this has happened. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about when he’d be ready to go home. He was very much himself, talking and talking. It’s passing strange to think that he won’t be talking anymore. We do know, however, that once the sickness had captured him, it would not let go, and we had to let him go. (more…)

Mimi was born on June 23, 1940 in New Haven. She was raised in tough circumstances. At a very young age she learned to be independent and resourceful and she had a lot of responsibility. (more…)

We’re here today to mourn the passing but also to honor the life of Dr. Richard Feingold, beloved husband father, grandfather and treasured friend. Dick’s sudden death has come as a shock, and it will take some time to even realize what’s happened. But it won’t take any time at all to decide what kind of person he was. He was a great person who lived a wonderful life filled with love, healing and achievement. (more…)