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Wednesday November 21, 2007

Deaths

Janice Devorah Pivnick in San Francisco on November 13, 2007. Born in San Francisco on July 4, 1922.

Dearly beloved wife of 60 years of Charles Pivnick. Loving mother of Patricia Levin and Barrett Lucero. Dear mother-in-law of Gary Levin; adored grandmother of Jonathan, Marc and Diana Levin and Hayley Lucero. Dear cousin of Morris Rubesin and Arlene McGinity. Beloved daughter of the late Hattie and Morris Schark. Special friend of Harold Malkin.

Former teacher at Presidio, Horace Mann, and Aptos Junior High Schools and George Washington and Lowell High Schools. Graduate of U.C. Berkeley. Member of George Washington High School Alumni Board. Member of Congregation Beth Sholom for 60 years. Lifelong opera lover. Dear friend to many. A beautiful, intelligent, and dignified woman who loved her family passionately. We will love her forever.

Services were held on November 16 at Sinai Memorial Chapel. Interment at Salem Memorial Park, Colma. Donations in Janice’s memory may be sent to Breast Cancer Research Fund, c/o Dr. Hope Rugo, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1600 Divisadero St., Second Floor, S.F., CA 94115 or Congregation Beth Sholom Gesher Campaign, 318-15th Ave., S.F., CA 94118.

Goldie Hiatt Rassen in San Francisco on November 18, 2007 at age 93. Beloved wife of the late Jacob Rassen for 41 years. Loving mother of Dr. Joshua (and Amy) Rassen and Rachel Rassen. Proud grandmother of Jeremy and Elisa Rassen.

Goldie was born in Lithuania, the youngest of twelve children. Her first husband and daughter as well as her parents and three siblings were victims of the Holocaust.

Following World War II, she married another survivor, Jacob Rassen, who had also returned to Lithuania in 1945. From the first moment that Goldie and Jacob saw each other wandering and looking for family and friends, they were drawn together and remained with each other. Their first child was born in a deportation camp in 1946. Shortly afterwards they immigrated to Worcester, Massachusetts, joining the three Hiatt brothers who had left Lithuania before the war. Goldie and Jacob were married for 41 years and raised two children in the Boston area. They moved to San Francisco in 1985 to be with their children and grandchildren. Jacob passed away one year later.

While raising her children, Goldie taught Hebrew to first and second graders at a local synagogue. Once in San Francisco, she began teaching Hebrew to individual adults. She was an ardent supporter of Israel, and was dedicated to making sure that the memory of the six million stayed alive. She was practical, clever and wise. All interactions offered an opportunity for her to share her wisdom and advice; she was always generous in offering her opinions.

Goldie was a devoted member of Congregation Beth Sholom and a supporter of many Jewish causes. In her latter years, Goldie was one of the first residents at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, where she lived independently and continued to teach Hebrew for six years. She spent the last three months of her life at the Jewish Home.

Funeral services were held at Sinai Memorial Chapel, 1501 Divisadero St. at Geary Blvd., SF, followed by internment at Hills of Eternity Cemetery, 1301 El Camino Real, Colma. Contributions to Congregation Beth Sholom preferred.

Meyer Scher lived 86 vibrant and active years, and died of natural causes on November 18, 2007, with his wife, Hannah, his loving family and lifelong friends at his bedside. Born in New York City’s Lower East Side on October 23, 1921, Meyer was the youngest of three children and the only son. His passion and commitment to hard work began early. As a young child he worked odd jobs to help support his mother and two sisters, later working at the corner drug store and peddling like-new shirts from a pushcart in NYC’s Lower East Side in the 1930s.

While in high school, Meyer met Hannah, who shared his love of dancing. After receiving top marks at Seward Park High School, he enrolled in Brooklyn College. Meyer cut his studies short to support the war effort and worked as a welder in the Boston Naval Shipyard, later transferring to work in Pearl Harbor. After courting long distance between Hawaii and New York City, Meyer and Hannah married in December 1944. Les, their first of six sons, was born in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.

After the war, Meyer and Hannah moved to Los Angeles, where their second son, Arnold, was born in Hollywood. Soon after they moved north and settled in Palo Alto, where Meyer found welding work at Moffett Field and the Navy Shipyard in San Francisco. Their third son, Danny, was born in Palo Alto. Propelled by a strong desire to better himself and be a provider for his family, Meyer completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford University and later enrolled in San Francisco Law School, where he was able to work during the day and go to school at night.

Meyer was admitted to law practice in 1956 and formed his own law firm, Scher and Fernandez, in Sunnyvale. Hannah worked as his unpaid but highly appreciated legal secretary/office manager for many years as the family continued to expand, with the birth of son Robert. For over 50 years, Meyer was a dedicated lawyer who often made house calls to his loyal clients, providing compassionate legal services (including pro bono work) in personal injury, criminal law, family law, wills, trusts, and workers compensation. As the law firm grew, so did the Scher family, with the arrival of sons Eddie and Jerry. Both Les and Jerry worked alongside Meyer at the law firm known for the last 31 years as Scher and Bassett. Up until his last weeks of life, Meyer came in to the office on a daily basis to serve his long-standing clients.

Outside of his busy professional life, Meyer was a devoted family man, loyal friend to many and active member of the local Jewish community. Meyer and Hannah traveled the world, often taking the entire family with them: Les and Carol, Lynn and Arnold, Danny, Robert and Elise, Eddie and Lori, Jerry and Susan and their 15 grandchildren. A meticulous planner of numerous extended family vacations, Meyer took the family on cruises to Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal and the Caribbean and traveling to Cuba, Israel, Greece, Egypt, China and elsewhere. The backyard pool at his home on University Avenue in Palo Alto was often chock full of kids, grandkids and friends on many summer afternoons, where he was a gracious, charming host of many family gatherings and barbeques, telling stories and jokes to his captive audience. Meyer took delight in assembling friends and family for Passover, Chanukah and other Jewish holidays.

An active and committed member of the Jewish community, Meyer was one of the original founding members of Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto and helped purchase the property on which the temple now stands. He was the founder of B’nai Brith of Palo Alto. Meyer led a life steeped in love for his family and devotion to Judaism.

Meyer was preceeded in death by his son Arnold (July 2007) and by his sisters Esther and Sybil. He leaves Hannah, his loving wife of 63 years; sons and daughters-in-law, Les (Carol), (Lynn), Danny, Robert (Elise), Eddie (Lori) and Jerry (Susan); 15 grandchildren — Rachelle, Paula, Hadassh, Elliot, Sarah, David, Jordan, Roxanne, Corey, Abe, Jacqueline, Dina, Saul, Jonathan and Mia; twin great-grandchildren, Caitlin and Benjamin; many nieces, nephews, cousins and dozens of lifelong friends.

Services for Meyer were held at Congregation Kol Emeth noon, Wednesday, November 21, with burial at Hills of Eternity, Colma. Donations in Meyer’s memory may be made to Congregation Kol Emeth, 4175 Manuela Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306-3703.

John “Joby” Shinoff in San Francisco on Nov. 19, 2007 at age 60. Loving husband of Holly Shinoff; adoring father of Amelia “Amy” Bonvini of Venice, Italy. Dear brother of the late Paul Shinoff; brother-in-law of Deborah Barnes, Donna (Tom) Wilson, Marilee (David) Binnquist and Tracey (Bill Petrick) Wake; loving uncle of Josh (Claudine) Shinoff, Katie Wilson, Michael Wilson, Sandra (Marty Sonke) Binnquist and Steve Binnquist. Dear nephew of Arthur and Florence Feinfield, and Julian and Rhea Toole; cousin of Kenneth (Sandy) Feinfield, Carol (Paul) Berman, Rob (Christy) Feinfield, Susan (Colin) Bach, Martha Riddle, Mike Douglas and other family members on the East Coast. Loving son-in-law of Donald and Mildred Wake. Best friend of Lily.

Joby was born in Los Angeles and moved to S.F. in the 1980s. He worked as a sales account executive for j., the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, for 22 years. Joby loved music and was an active singer and songwriter. He loved dogs and he led the effort to create the Upper Noe Valley Recreation Center Dog Run.

Services are 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23 at Sinai Memorial Chapel in San Francisco. Contributions in memory of Joby may be made to the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, 3330 Geary Blvd., 3rd Floor West, San Francisco CA 94118 or the UCSF Cancer Research Institute, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco CA 94143-0248.

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