SHIRLEY FRIEDMAN ABRAMS
Feb. 28, 1934 - Jan. 1, 2017
Shirley and
Marv Abrams were, first of all, Jerry's friends; I "acquired" them
after marrying Jerry in 1975. Over the
next 30 years we saw the Abrams socially many times – most often at Temple
affairs but also at dinners when one of us felt the need to "get together
to eat and catch up" on our busy lives.
I was very fond of both of them, and our get-togethers were always just
super!
We were
saddened when Marv died in 2014 after a long illness, but we were shocked, as
well as saddened, when Shirley died suddenly on January 1, 2017. It wasn't until I read her obituary that I
had any idea of what I DIDN'T know about her.
She never talked about herself.
Her
"other" life, besides being a wife and mother, had started out as a
PTA president. Later she took leadership roles in the local United Way, Heart
Association, the Jewish Federation, and the County Education Coordinating Councils. She often received "Leader of the Year"
awards from these groups. Her volunteer
efforts became so valuable to the LA County Dept. of Education that they
created a full-time position for her at the main office in Downey. She led vital programs on the education of
the homeless and on addressing truancy in the schools until her retirement in
2011.
She continued
her community activities as a long-time board member of the Jewish Federations
of Los Angeles and the Eastern Region of Southern California, the Jewish Family
Service and by serving on the prestigious JENNY Commission, reviewing the qualifications
of appointed judges in the state. She
was twice invited to the White House to participate in the White House Conference
on Children and Youth both in 1972 and again in 2002.
She always
made sure that family and friends came first.
She regularly met with groups of friends and prided herself on being
present at important occasions in the lives of her loved ones. She is survived by her two children and five
grandchildren.
Do I miss
her? You bet!
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