Obituaries France Levy Birshtein Norfolk—Frances Levy Birshtein, 81, passed away peacefully with her family by her side in Norfolk, Virginia on September 28, 2020. The daughter of the late Fannie and Hyman Davis, she was born Frances Anne Davis on February 8, 1939 in Manhattan and spent her early childhood in Haverstraw, New York, along with her late older brother, David Davis, and her late younger sister, Jeanne Rabinowitz. She moved to Norfolk at a young age and attended Taylor Elementary, Blair Middle School, and Maury High School. An athletic child, she developed a love for tennis and went on to become a state champion in high school two years in a row. She continued to play tennis through adulthood and picked up the game of golf later in life like a natural. Additionally, she played clarinet in her high school marching band. After graduating from Maury High School as the valedictorian of her class, Mrs. Birshtein attended the College of William & Mary on a full scholarship, where she received her bachelor’s degree. She continued her education and blazed a trail for women as the only female student at William & Mary Law School. She completed both degrees in just over four years to take advantage of the undergraduate scholarship. Upon graduation in 1962, she returned to Norfolk and practiced law for many years as one of the first female attorneys in the city. Frances lived according to her belief that one should “remember from whence they came and always give back.” Over the course of her life, she was a pillar of her community, serving as the president of numerous organizations: William & Mary Hillel, the local chapter of Hadassah, the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society, Beth El Synagogue’s Sisterhood, the Auxiliary of Beth Sholom, the Beth Sholom Home, and The Terrace at Beth
Sholom. True to her beliefs, she went on to serve as a board member of Jewish Family Service, where she represented the Hebrew Ladies Charity Society, the organization which had provided her with a much-needed gift certificate in her youth to purchase a confirmation dress when her family was unable to afford such an extravagance. She also created Life and Legacy scholarships at Old Dominion University, Beth Sholom Village, and Jewish Family Service. A deeply proud Jew and Zionist, she traveled several times to Israel over the years. In 1964, Mrs. Birshtein married Dr. Donald Marvin Levy, with whom she had five children, while also raising her niece and nephew, Deborah Eken and the late Edward Davis. Following Dr. Levy’s untimely death in 1984, she married Oscar Brandeis Birshtein in 1986, with whom she had a loving and fulfilling marriage until his death in 1997. In 2001, she married Stanley Weigen, to whom she was married until his death in 2013. Referred to as “Mimi” by her grandchildren, Frances was committed to education and took great pride in the many post-graduate degrees achieved by her five children, all of whom survive her: Jeffrey Levy, Michael Levy, Stephen Levy, Douglas Levy, and Susan Brown. Frances is also survived by her eight grandchildren: Daniel Levy, Olivia Levy, Chloe Levy, Dylan Levy, Molly Levy, Noah Levy, Mallory Brown, and Landon Brown. She is dearly missed by her daughters-in-law: Anne Levy, Gina Levy, and Dara Levy and her son-in-law, Jonathan Brown. Her unbreakable commitment to family is evident in the nurturing relationships she had with her many relatives and their extended families everywhere. She was a true matriarch. The funeral and memorial service was
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held at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com. Donations to Jewish Family Service and Beth Sholom Home.
Doris Riemer Friedman Norfolk—Our amazing mom and special force of nature, Doris Friedman, left this earth on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. She was surrounded by her loving family, and that’s exactly what she would have wanted. She was beautiful both inside and out and fortunately blessed with a long life…a good life…for 94 years. Our mother was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of Oscar and Rebecca Riemer. Her mom was a Sabra, born in Israel. Our Dad told her at the end of their very first date that he was going to marry her. And she did—at the young age of 19. Although she spent the remainder of her life in Virginia, Brooklyn was always in her heart and soul. Our parents were blessed to spend almost 60 years of happy married life together. Exercising both her mind and body were cornerstones of her life. Later in life she went back to school earning an undergraduate degree from Old Dominion University and a masters degree in social work from Norfolk State University. She loved tennis, swimming, hula dancing, yoga, bridge, and scrabble. Her boundless energy and zest for living earned her the admiration of so many who knew her. Mom was a lifelong and founding member of Temple Israel and so very proud of being Jewish! She was her happiest when she was doing a mitzvah, a good deed, for someone else. She was fiercely independent and tenacious about her beliefs and feelings and she always acted with heart and determination. On her refrigerator she displayed and tried to follow the famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt “Do one thing every day that
scares you.” Doris was pre-deceased by her husband Morris (Sonny) Friedman. She is survived by her daughters Lorie Friedman (Elaine), Jodie Frieden ( Jack), Abbie Korman (Robert). She is also survived by her grandchildren; Jessica Frieden Shultz (Brian), Laura Frieden Gibbons (Jonathan), Adam Korman and Michael Korman, as well as her brother-in-law Harold (Boodie) Friedman (Bobby); several nieces and nephews and extended family members. Contributions in her memory may be sent to The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, 800 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, Va. 23505, the Norfolk SPCA, 916 Ballentine Blvd, Norfolk, Va. 23504, or Temple Israel, 7255 Granby St., Norfolk, Va. 23505. Due to Covid 19 the family chose to have a private service for immediate family. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.
Howard Earl Gold Winter Park, Fla.—Howard Earl Gold, age 81, of Winter Park, passed away on Thursday, September 24, 2020, at AdventHealth Winter Park. Howard was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, a son of the late David and Julia Cohen Gold. He was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts earning a degree in Engineering and worked as an Industrial Engineer in the Soft Goods Industry. In 1959, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he married the former Barbara Meyer, his wife of nearly 62 years, who survives him. They relocated to the Orlando area from Massachusetts in 1994 and are members of Congregation Ohev Shalom. In addition to his wife, Howard is survived by his sons Stanley (Julia) Gold of Virginia and Eric Gold of the Aleutian Islands; and daughter Rosalyn (Gary) Wolf of Palm Bay. He was the proud
