In Memory

July 4, 2008

BENDER. Mr. Jerome S. "Jerry" Bender died June 19, 2008, at home. He was 72.

Born in Perth Amboy, Mr. Bender was the son of the late Abram and Sadye Lustbader Bender and had lived in the Raritan Township area most of his life. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, he was a sales representative for Henry Schein Company. Additionally, he was a former member of the U.S. Air Force National Guard.

Mr. Bender is survived by his sons, Scott of New York City and Adam of West Bloomfield, Mich.; brother, Ike of Highland Park, Ill.; and granddaughter, Madeline Bender.

Interment at Flemington Jewish Community Center Cemetery, Flemington. Arrangements by Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, Flemington. Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, Northwest NJ Region, 669 Littleton Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054.

FRANK. Mr. Alvin Frank of Ocean died June 21, 2008, at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. He was 92.

Born in Bayonne, to Shail and Ida Frank, Mr. Frank lived for the last 52 years in Ocean, retiring in recent years for winters to Delray Beach, Fla. Following graduation from Bayonne High School in 1934, he joined the Merchant Marines and traveled the world. Later, as a major in the Civil Air Patrol he flew during coastal blackouts searching for German submarines. He also served in Okinawa in the Army Air Force during World War II. He worked for many years as a builder, and later in semi-retirement he sold synthetic oils for the Amsoil Corporation. He had boundless enthusiasm for flying, dancing, and for his family. He was loved for his warmth, his strength, his wide smile and bear hugs. He was a wonderful, loving husband, father, grandfather and brother and will be sadly missed.

Mr. Frank is survived by his wife of 63 years, Rosalie Bayroff Frank; daughters and sons-in-law, Carol of Ocean, Cathy Frank and Chris Kilbride of Island Heights, Charlene of Manhattan, and Meryl Frank and Steven Gabel of Highland Park; sister, Roslyn Klein of Pompano Beach, Fla.; and grandchildren, Marc Guidetti, Ryan Kilbride, Isaac, Eli, Eve and Belle Gabel-Frank. Interment at the United Hebrew Cemetery, Staten Island. Arrangements by the Crabiel Parkwest Funeral Chapel, New Brunswick. Donations may be made in Mr. Frank's memory to American Friends of Magen David Adom (www.afmda.org).

KATZ. Mrs. Bella (nee Hirshfield) Katz died June 26, 2008, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway. She was 84.

Born in New Brunswick, Mrs. Katz lived in Westfield for many years. She graduated from high school in New York and attended business school to become a secretary. She worked for the Raritan Arsenal in Edison for the U.S. Army for 10 years until 1962, and for a retired colonel who became an architect by the name of Anthony DeLeo. She sold Avon and World Book encyclopedias for a while and was a poll clerk in Edison and Franklin Park for the elections. She was a member of the Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple and choir, enjoyed her friends and trips to Atlantic City to play bingo, and enjoyed her family and all the times she shared with them. Her husband, Richard, died in 1988.

Mrs. Katz is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Jeffrey and Debbie, and Stuart and Anita; daughters, Janice and Joy; grandchildren, Samara, Baalim and Daniel; and great-grandchildren, Taylor, Anya Grace and Annabella. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. Arrangements by Crabiel Parkwest Funeral Chapel, New Brunswick. Donations in memory of Mrs. Katz may be made to the American Cancer Society and the Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple Choir Fund.

KAZIN. Mr. Albert Kazin died June 27, 2008, at the Cranbury Center in Monroe. He was 87.

Born and raised in Newark, Mr. Kazin lived in Edison for many years. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II. For most of his life, he was a staff administration specialist in the Army Reserve. He received a certificate of appreciation for outstanding volunteer service from the New Jersey veterans. He was a member of the Jewish War Veterans, The American Legion, and the Over 55 Club.

Mr. Kazin is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Jerry and Gail of Sudbury, Mass.; daughter, Rona Balsam of Helmetta; and beloved grandchildren, Amy Estrada, Jeffrey Balsam, Eric Balsam, Ari Kazin, Zachary Kazin and Isaac Kazin. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. Arrangements by Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapel, Manalapan. Memorial donations may be made to the Jewish War Veterans, P.O. Box 38, New City, N.Y. 10956.

KRASNER. Mrs. Lillian Perlman Krasner died June 19, 2008, in Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville. She was 87.

Born in Brooklyn, Mrs. Krasner lived in North Arlington before moving to Kearny 49 years ago. She was a member of Congregation B'nai Israel, Kearny.

Mrs. Krasner is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Eileen and Michael Leahy, Evelyn and Robert Shore, Andrea and Stephen Kozel, and Barbara Krasner; brother and sister-in-law, Ike and Lillian Perlman; sister, Bella Jacobowitz; and grandchildren, Brian and Elisabeth Leahy, Matthew Khait, and Rachel and Judith Kozel. Arrangements by Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick, is in charge.

LERMAN. Mrs. Lillian A. Lerman died June 14, 2008, in Port Washington, N.Y. She was 89.

Born in New York City to Flora and Jacob Leibowitz, Mrs. Lerman moved with her family to Long Branch when she was in her teens. There, she met and married Dr. Samuel Lerman and later settled in Westfield. Dr. Lerman practiced medicine in Elizabeth and Cranford for many years. Mrs. Lerman was active in family, community and religious life and participated in many sports activities. A founding member of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, she was an early president of the temple Sisterhood and active on the board of its religious school. She also participated in many community activities and was especially involved with the League of Women Voters, serving in numerous leadership positions. The entire Lerman family was instrumental in organizing the Girls' Softball League of Westfield. Mrs. Lerman was also an enthusiastic swimmer, skier, golfer, bowler, tennis player and water skier, in addition to being an ardent supporter of the arts. After her husband's death in 1972, Mrs. Lerman moved to Springfield, where she lived until declining health caused her to move into an assisted living facility.

Mrs. Lerman is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Candace and Dr. Barry Cohen of Manhasset, N.Y.; son and daughter-in-law, James and Theresa Marino Lerman of New York City; and grandchildren, Sam Cohen and Michela Lerman. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. Arrangements by Menorah Chapels at Millburn, Union. Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, N.Y. 10018.

LEVIN. Mr. Mark Levin died June 19, 2008, at Centrastate Medical Center, Freehold. He was 56.

Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Levin lived in Aberdeen for six years before moving to Manalapan 20 years ago. He was a graduate of Brooklyn College, and owned M. Levin, Inc., a family-owned business located in the Bowery Section of New York City, in operation more than 100 years. He retired in November, 2007. He was a passionate and avid antique collector, and also enjoyed rock and roll music. He was predeceased by his father, Meyer Levin.

Mr. Levin is survived by his loving wife, Susan Kornstein; beloved mother, Leonore Levy Levin of Brooklyn; adored daughters, Melanie and Michele, both of Manalapan; and dear brother, Henry and his wife, Susan of Scarsdale, N.Y. Arrangements by Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, Manalapan. Donations may be made to American Heart Association.

MYERSON. Mr. Irving Myerson died June 17, 2008, at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Edison. He was 89.

Born in New York City, Mr. Myerson attended Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and was employed by Mearl Corporation in Roselle Park for more than 45 years as a chemist. He was a member of Temple Neve Shalom in Metuchen for many years. His wife, Flora, died Dec. 18, 1978.

Mr. Myerson is survived by his sons, Mark of Naugatuck, Conn., and Dr. Randolph of Hurley, N.Y.; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. Arrangements by Crabiel Parkwest Funeral Chapel, New Brunswick.

SCHWARTZ. Mr. Julius Schwartz died June 19, 2008, at Monmouth Crossing in Freehold. He was 93.

Born and raised in Plainfield, Mr. Schwartz lived in New Jersey for most of his life. He lived in Boca Raton for 20 years before moving to Freehold three years ago. His loving wife of 62 years, Mollie, died in 2004.

Mr. Schwartz is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Calvin and Frances, of Marlboro; daughters and son-in-law, Saree and Michael Block of Boca Raton, and Hildy Abel of Manhattan; grandchildren, Rachel, Carly, Scott and Neil; and brother, Joseph of Somerset. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. Donations in Mr. Schwartz' name may be made to Monmouth Crossing in Freehold.

SIEGEL. Mrs. Dorothy Siegel (nee Leshansky) of Monroe, died June 21, 2008, at SummerHill Nursing Home, Old Bridge. She was 89.

Born in Brooklyn, Mrs. Siegel lived in Bayonne for more than 50 years before moving to Liberty Manor Assisted living, Englishtown, for three years. She was a claims examiner with New Jersey Unemployment for 25 years, retiring in 1992. She twice served as president of the American Jewish Congress, Bayonne, and was also a member of the Bayonne Jewish Community Center and the Bayonne Aid Progressive Society. Her beloved husband, Herman, died in 1993; her brother, Larry Leshansky, died in 2003; and her sister, Esther Leshansky, died in 1999.

Mrs. Siegel is survived by her loving children, Robert Siegel of South Orange and Rosalind Kornfield of Monroe; dear sister, Sylvia Rubenstein of New York City; adored grandchildren, Brian and Bennett Siegel, Scott Kornfeld and Ami Hoffman; and eight cherished great-grandchildren. Interment at United Hebrew Cemetery, Staten Island.

TAFT. Lawrence T. Taft, M.D. died June 25, 2008. He was 84.

Dr. Taft landed on the shores of Normandy on D-Day-plus-30, and was an active participant in the Battle of the Bulge, receiving two Purple Hearts and three battle stars. In 1950, he received an M.D. degree from Downstate Medical School, after which he trained in pediatrics at NYU Bellevue, New York Hospital-Cornell and in pediatric neurology at Boston Children's Hospital. He then served as assistant professor and later full professor in the department of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Bronx. In 1973, he established a department of pediatrics and was the department's first chairman at Rutgers Medical School in New Brunswick, now the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the University of Medicine of Dentistry of New Jersey. He received the University Excellence Award for demonstrating a high level of achievement and recognition by his peers for patient care. He was active with Beit Issie Shapiro, one of the leading child development treatment and educational services in Raanana, Israel. He served as chairman of the Committee on Children with Handicaps of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Taft is survived by his wife of 55 years, Odette Pois; children, Marjorie White, Joan Kluger and Richard Taft; and five grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Lawrence Fund for Children, Parents Anonymous, www.parentsanonymous.org, Beit Issie Shapiro: www.beitissie.org.il/eng, or a charity of one's choice.

TZORFAS. Mr. Jack Tzorfas died peacefully June 21, 2008, at his residence in Somerville. He was 77.

Born in Cincinnati, Jack was raised in Newark and Raritan before moving to Somerville in 1967. He was employed as a salesman for Sissco in Hillsborough for more than 20 years, retiring in 2004. He was a veteran of the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of Temple Sholom, the JCC Seniors in Bridgewater and an active member of the Somerville Democratic Party. Jack enjoyed spending time outdoors on weekends especially gardening. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be sadly missed by is family and friends. His wife of 52 years, Paula, died June 28, 2008.

Mr. Tzorfas is survived by his children, Brenda Frisch and her husband Mark, Howard and his companion Linda Bundt; brother, Bernie; and grandchildren, Evan, Andrew and Justin. Interment at Temple Sholom Cemetery, Bridgewater. Arrangements by the Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home, Somerville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center, 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807.

TZORFAS. Mrs. Paula Tzorfas died peacefully June 28, 2008, in Somerset Medical Center, Somerville. She was 74.

Born and raised in Newark, Paula lived in Raritan before moving to Somerville in 1967. She was a nursery school teacher for the Jewish Community Center in Somerville, Temple Sholom in Bridgewater and Temple Beth-El in Hillsborough for more than 15 years. She was a member of the Temple Sholom Sisterhood, Hadassah, the JCC Seniors in Bridgewater, and the Somerville Democratic Party. She enjoyed crafts and especially crocheting, and will be sadly missed by her family and friends. Her husband of 52 years, Jack, died June 21, 2008.

Mrs. Tzorfas is survived by her children, Brenda Frisch and her husband, Mark, and Howard and his companion, Linda Bundt; sister, Marcia Goldstein; and grandchildren, Evan, Andrew and Justin. Interment at Temple Sholom Cemetery, Bridgewater. Arrangements by the Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home, Somerville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center, 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807.

VERSTAENDIG. Mr. Sam Verstaendig died May 31, 2008.