Death - Funeral - Shiva - Unveiling

Most Death Announcements include the full name of the deceased; his or her city and state of residence; the number of years he or she lived at that and previous locations; and the city and state (and country) of birth.  You may also wish to include the full names of children and grandchildren, and their cities and states of residence. 

Most Funeral, Shiva, and Unveiling Announcements also include the place and time of these ceremonies.

ARLENE RIMSON. April 20, 2013. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Ira Rimson; daughters, Erika Rimson and David Bernstein of Albuquerque; Elena and Steve Mullican of Atlanta; and Lorraine Rimson and Gwen Mathewson of Seattle; grandsons, Eli and Max Bernstein; granddaughters, Shelby and Emily Mullican; and brother, Jim Friedman of Kansas City, MO. She was predeceased by her parents, Ewing and Dena Graber Friedman; and her sister, Lana Friedman. A memorial service will be held at Congregation Albert on Tuesday April 23 at 7:30 pm. Interment will be at the Santa Fe National Cemetery on Wednesday April 24  at 9:45 am. Shiva will be Wednesday and Thursday evening at 7:00 pm at the home of Erika Rimson and David Bernstein. Contributions may be made to A League of Their Own; Congregation Albert; or the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque.

MELVIN MEILACH. March 28, 2013. He is survived by his daughter Susan Seligman and husband, Richard; his son Allen Meilach; his grandsons Jordan, Adam, and Zachary Seligman; sisters Harriet Arenson and Elaine Browdy; nieces and nephews. A Service of Remembrance was held at the Seligman home on Friday March 29. Donations may be made to the New Mexico Anti-Defamation League.

Melvin Meilach, 95, lived an amazing and active life full of adventure and accomplishment. Born in Chicago in 1917, Mel put himself through orthodontia school loading freight trains. He served as a captain in the army in Europe and the Philippines. He retired from his dental practice early to travel and explore life with his wife, Dona, a successful author who preceded him in death. They enjoyed 58 wonderful years together.

JOSEPH LINVER. March 8, 2013. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Betty; son Dr. Michael Linver and his wife Mina Jo of Albuquerque; son Preston Linver and his wife Debbi of Seminole Florida; daughter Janet Anderson and her husband Sven of Detroit; and daughter Rochelle Davidson of Kansas City; as well as nine grandchildren and 12 great grand-children. Graveside funeral services will be held on Monday March 11 at 12:00 Noon, at the B'nai Israel section of Fairview Memorial Park, 700 Yale Blvd Southeast. Shiva services will be held at the home of Dr Michael and Mina Jo Linver at 7:00 pm Monday and Tuesday nights. Contributions can be made in his name to Congregation B’nai Israel, New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and/or the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.

Joseph Linver, 95, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 8, 2013. Joe was born in Detroit, MI in 1918 to parents Harry and Ida Linver. He grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he was graduated from the University of Toledo in 1939. At TU, he was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, played intramural sports, and was a sports editor of the newspaper. He then served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1945, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade, serving first in public relations as speechwriter for the Navy admirals in Chicago, and then with the Pacific fleet off Okinawa, Japan. In 1942, he met Betty Levine in Kansas City, and married her in 1943. After the war ended, he and Betty moved back to Toledo, where Joe joined his father at the Linver-Kripke Division of Wabash Scrap Materials Company, remaining as president until 1970. During his tenure there, he developed an innovative container system for separating and safely transporting surplus materials. Joe then launched a second career in developing commercial real estate properties, concentrating on small shopping centers and restaurants. In 1986, Joe and Betty moved to Albuquerque, where he continued his involvement in real estate development. While in Toledo, he was involved in various community activities, including expansion of the Jewish Community Center. He was then and continued to be a strong advocate for the University of Toledo Alumni Association, even after his move to Albuquerque. All his life, he was an enthusiastic naturalist, a voracious reader, and a passionate patron of the arts. He loved jazz and classical music and Yiddish and Broadway Theater, as well as all the great artists of the 20th century. He himself developed considerable skill as an artist in his later years. He was an avid sports fan and inveterate golfer and fly fisherman, especially enjoying the quality waters of the San Juan River. As much as Joe embraced life, he loved his family even more.  

ROBERT H WHITE, PhD. March 5, 2013. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Beverly C White; daughter, Rachel White Sternheim of Los Angeles, CA; son, Dr. Jonathan White of Dallas, TX; son-in-law, Harvey Sternheim; granddaughters, Jenny and Adina Sternheim; nieces, Talia and Ephrat Livni, Kibbutz Hatzor, Israel; nephew, Asaph Livni, New York  City; brother and sister-in-law, Stan and Judy Podolsky; Roslyn and John Perez and Family, Matthew Podolsky; extended family and many friends in the Jewish, education, and general communities. Graveside funeral services were held on Sunday March 10 at 2:00 pm, at the Chavurat HaMidbar section of Fairview Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Congregation B’nai Israel, Solomon Schechter Day School, Chavurat HaMidbar, or Congregation Albert. He will be greatly missed. 

CONSTANCE JUNE "CONNIE" COHN. March 4, 2013. She is is survived by her daughter Mallory Olisar and her son-in-law Jeffery Olisar of Albuquerque; her sister Winnie Borden and Neal Borden of Baltimore, MD; her brother Larry Cohn and Betsy Cohn of Tucson, AZ; her niece Laura Borden Richter and Joel Richter of Israel; her nephews Adam Borden and Meredith Borden of Baltimore, Benjamin Cohn and Connie Shih Cohn of Santa Monica, CA, and Robert Cohn and Naomi Cohn of New York. She is also survived by four great-nieces, two great-nephews, and best family friend, Jo Rutar. A memorial service will be held on March 12, 2013 at Congregation B'nai Israel at 11:00 am. Contributions can be made to Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains; The Make-A-Wish Foundation; or Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity.  

Connie Cohn, 64, died March 4, 2013 of a brain tumor. Born in Schenectady, NY to the late Florence Wittlin Cohn and the late Honorable Morris Marshall Cohn, she graduated from Linton High School in 1966. She then came to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico, from which she gradu- ated in 1970. She received a master's of urban planning from the University of Southern Illinois In 1971 and a J.D. from the Western State University College of Law in 1982. For 25 years, criminal prosecution was Ms. Cohn's passion. She was a deputy district attorney of Albuquerque in the prior repeat offender division, deputy district attorney in Tulare County, CA, and a special prosecutor for Rio Rancho. Between 1973 and 1979, she worked for the New Mexico Governor's Council on Criminal Justice Planning. Ms. Cohn was an avid skier, world traveler, and estate sale devotee. She loved to entertain and was an excellent cook and baker. An active member of Congregation B'nai Israel, Ms. Cohn was the past president of the Synagogue's Nursery School. She was also a member of the Albuquerque International Association.  

MITCHELL KESNER. February 15, 2013. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Leah Kesner; sons Alan S Kesner, David G Kesner and wife, Kathi, and Ben B Kesner and wife, Mary; grandchildren Zachary, Rebecca, Jacob, Michael and Daniel; and many other family and friends, including his sister, Bertha Mann. Mr Kesner was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Bessie Kesner, and four siblings. He was a member of B'nai Israel Synagogue for 54 years. Funeral services were held at Congregation B'nai Israel on Sunday February 17.  Interment followed immediately at the Congregation B'nai Israel section of Fairview Memorial Park. Shiva services were held in the home of Ben and Mary Kesner.

Mitchell Kesner, 96, a 54-year resident of Albuquerque, died Friday, February 15, 2013. Born in Old Town, Maine, he moved to Worcester, Massachusetts where he grew up. Mitchell attended Clark University after high school and graduated from Syracuse University. He was drafted into the US Army and served 5 years before his honorable discharge as a Captain. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice. 

EMILY GOTTFRIED. January 27, 2013. She is survived by her husband Jeff Gottfried, daughter Benna, and daughter Miriam and son-in-law Nick Bartel. Funeral services were held in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday January 29. Emily was the Cantorial Soloist at Congregation Albert from 1983 to 1988. After her move to Portland, she served as the Cultural Arts Director of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center; and Executive Director of the Oregon Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. She was the Executive Director of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee at the time of her death. Condolences may be sent to Jeff Gottfried, 7040 SW 84th Avenue, Portland, OR 97223. Contributions may be sent to the Oregon Area Jewish Committee, www.oajconline.org.

RABBI ISAAC HERBERT CELNIK. December 29, 2012. He is survived by his daughters, Cynthia Jill Celnik and husband, Chris Werner of Castle Rock, CO; Gitel Celnik; son Leib Celnik both of Louisville, CO; granddaughters Ava Werner and Lisa Streets; grandson Zachary Werner and Brad Streets; wife, Irene Sanchez of Albuquerque, NM; and a large extended family. Rabbi Celnik was preceded in death by his daughter, Sherri Streets. Private family services took place at Santa Fe National Cemetery. A special Community Service in memory of Rabbi Celnik was held on Thursday January 3 at Congregation Albert. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, www.pdf.org.

Rabbi Celnik, 71, a resident of Albuquerque since 1971, served as Congregation B'nai Israel's Rabbi for more than 30 years. Rabbi Celnik was a US Army Chaplain in the 1960s. He was a visionary, pioneering efforts to bring many faiths together.

BARRY SHALIT. December 12, 2012.  He is survived by sisters Harriet Abrams; Joselyn Schwartz and husband, Sam; and Sharon Rubenstein and husband, Dr Al Chatfield; beloved nieces, grand nieces, and one grandnephew. Graveside funeral services were held on Monday December 17, at the Congregation B'nai Israel section of Fairview Memorial Park. The Shalit family invited Barry's friends to visit at Congregation B'nai Israel on Monday night, where they hosted Maariv services. Contributions to the charity of your choice are suggested.

EVELYN BRAUNER. October 30, 2012.  She is survived by her sister Pearl Bernstein of Albuquerque, daughter Arlene and son-in-law Warren Sigal, son Mark and daughter-in-law Cindy Brauner of Scottsdale, and son Leonard Brauner and daughter-in-law Beth Moritz of Manhattan, NY, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Graveside funeral services were held on Thursday November 1, at Vista Verde Memorial Park in Rio Rancho. The Brauner family held Mincha services at the Daniels Chapel immediately following interment Thursday afternoon. The family invited Evelyn's and Pearl's friends to visit at Congregation B'nai Israel on Thursday night, where they hosted Maariv services and a dessert reception. Contributions to the March of Dimes are suggested.

Evelyn Brauner, 91, was born in Brooklyn, New York. She was a loving mother of three children and enjoyed knitting her famous "Bubby" slippers and blankets for her loved ones and friends.  Evelyn was an avid hostess; she always enjoyed cooking and baking for others. She was very involved with Congregation B'nai Israel and the JCC of Greater Albuquerque. 

SUSAN GUTTMAN. October 29, 2012.  She is survived by her granddaughter, Yvette Cooper. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Rabbi Martin Guttman; her daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Julius Erber; and brother, George Fox. A graveside service was held on Thursday November 1, 2012 at Vista Verde Memorial Park, Rio Rancho, NM.

Susan Guttman, 90, a resident of Rio Rancho, NM, passed away Monday, October 29, 2012. Mrs. Guttman was a survivor of the Holocaust and the Hungarian Revolution. After the Hungarian Revolution, she migrated to Israel until she moved to the United States with her husband and daughter. Dr Rabbi Guttman was a beloved Rabbi in Newark, NJ until his retirement in 1986. Dr Rabbi and Mrs Guttman then retired to Rio Rancho, NM. Together, they were members of Congregation B'nai Israel in Albuquerque.