OBITUARIES
thejewishvoice.org (Kay) Spindell of Providence. They were married for 30 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Simon and Jeanette (Sokol) Spindell and brother of the late Dr. Lloyd Spindell, he was a lifelong Providence resident. He was a summa cum laude graduate of Classical High School and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University. In 1953, he received an M.D. degree from Boston University, eventually becoming board certified in orthopedic surgery. From 1955 to 1957, he served as captain in the U.S. Air Force at Chanute AFB in Illinois. Returning to Providence, he began a private practice that covered a span of nearly 40 years. During this time, he was a senior attending physician at Miriam, Rhode Island, Memorial and Roger Williams hospitals. He became chief of orthopedic surgery at Miriam Hospital from 1992 to 1997. Before retiring, he was honored by an evening of recognition for his many years of service to the hospital. A member of Temple Beth-El for more than 50 years, he served on the temple board and was chairman of the religious school committee. He also served as president of the Bureau of Jewish Education from 1994 to 1997. He
leaves his loving children, Marcia Spindell and her husband, Jonathan Lentz, Ahvi Spindell and his wife, Jane Gabbert, and Stephen Spindell and his former wife, Blanche; grandchildren: Joshua and Aaron Lentz and Jessica Spindell and Simon Spindell. He also leaves step-children, Dr. Faith Tobias, Chaim Cohen and his wife, Michal, Julie Corwin, and Pamela Greiner; step-grandchildren: Yonah, Shira and Yair Cohen, and Mason and Kaden Tobias, all of whom were dear to his heart. He will be fondly remembered by his friends and patients, and held in cherished memory by his family. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Holocaust Resource and Education Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, R.I. 02906 or Home & Hospice Care of R.I., 1085 North Main St., Providence, R.I. 02904.
Jonathan L. Stanzler, 60 CRANSTON, R.I. – Jonathan L. Stanzler of Cranston died unexpectedly, on July 13 at Rhode Island Hospital. He was an attorney in private practice in R.I. for more than 30 years. In addition to his legal career, he had many other interests. He had a lifelong interest in politics, working for numerous Democratic candidates on the local and national level. He gave back to his community with his involvement in Jewish causes. He was a talented writer and a member of the editori-
al board of the Jewish Voice and Herald. At the time of his passing, he was actively involved in the Landmark Forum Team Management and Leadership Program. In addition, he had been working closely with the R.I. Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to plan a fundraising walk in August in memory of his parents, Milton and Phyllis Stanzler. He was an avid theater goer throughout his life, and particularly loved Trinity Rep, a theater he enjoyed since its inception. He was a graduate of Providence Country Day School, University of Rhode Island, and Western New England School of Law. He was a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association. He was the beloved son of the late Milton and Phyllis Stanzler. He leaves his sister, Jill Stanzler-Katz and brother-in-law, Jeff Katz of Boston, nieces Alexandra and Samantha Katz, and his stepmother Selma Stanzler of Chicago. Please send donations in Jon’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, R.I. Chapter, an organization that he cared deeply about: alz.org/ri
Harvey Waxman, 77 N O R T H KINGSTOWN, R.I. – Harvey Waxman died July 15. He was the husband of Judy (Fogel) Wax-
man. Born in Chelsea, Mass., a son of the late David and Ann Waxman, he had been a resident of Worcester before moving to North Kingstown He was a graduate of Swampscott High School, Tufts University, Medford, and Tufts School of Dental Medicine, Boston, where he received a D.M.D degree. He initially practiced dentistry as a U.S. Army captain, and then established his practice in general dentistry for 40 years in Worcester, Mass. For many years he was a clinical instructor at Tufts and Harvard Dental Schools. Beyond his dental practice, he was known for his work on property tax reform in state and local government, and was interviewed by the Wall St. Journal and CNN. He enjoyed sailing, woodworking, electronics, photography, and being actively involved with issues concerning public welfare. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Ellen Waxman of North Kingstown, and Debbie Staw and her husband Michael of Westport, Conn.; his grandchildren, Benjamin and Joshua; and his brother, Ernie Waxman of Cincinnati. He was the father of the late Shelly Waxman. Donations in his memory may be made to the Rhode Island Foundation, Civic Leadership Fund, (memo: Harvey Waxman) 1 Union Station, Providence, R.I. 02903.
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Gordon H. Wolfe, 90 SOUTH DARTMOUTH, MASS. – Gordon H. Wolfe passed away June 28 surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Irma (Lipsitt) Wolfe; they had just celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. He was born in New Haven, Conn., the son of the late Yale and Alice (Ringold) Wolfe. He was a member and past president of Tifereth Israel Congregation in New Bedford. He was also active in New Bedford civic affairs, sitting on the council of the New Bedford Economic Development Council. Before retiring, he, through his financial public relations firm in Manhattan, Gordon H. Wolfe & Co., Inc., was also instrumental in expanding the corporate sector of the State of Israel. Besides his wife, he is survived by his son Stephen H. Wolfe of Dartmouth; sister Ann Wolfe of Boone, N.C.; grandchildren Elizabeth Rehman and Michael Hauptman; and great-grandchild Kavi Rehman. He was also the brother of the late Iris Levitsky. Contributions in his memory may be made to Tifereth Israel Synagogue for the Rabbi Kanter Discretionary Fund or to the Biblical Garden of Israel, Neot-Kedumim, neot-kedumim.org.il.
National obituaries Author E.L Doctorow dies at 84
JTA — American Jewish author E.L. Doctorow, who wrote the novel “Ragtime,” has died at age 84. Doctorow died of complications from lung cancer July 21 in Manhattan, according to the New York Times. Author of a dozen novels as well as assorted other works, Doctorow primarily wrote historical fiction. “Ragtime,” published in 1975, is set in New York in the leadup to World War I and includes characters like Sigmund Freud and the anarchist Emma Goldman. His works spanned periods from the Civil War to the present day. Doctorow won the PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. He was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Among his other prominent works are “Billy Bathgate,” “The Book of Daniel” and “The March.” Several of his books have been adapted into films. Doctorow was born in 1931 in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Russia. He told the Kenyon Review that he grew up surrounded by talented Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Germany. He attended Kenyon College and published his first nov-
el, “Welcome to Hard Times,” in 1960. He lived in New York City. Doctorow is survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren.
Grooveshark co-founder Josh Greenberg found dead at 28
JTA — Josh Greenberg, co-founder of the early music streaming service Grooveshark, has died at 28. Greenberg’s girlfriend found him in his bed July 19 in Gainesville, Florida, the Gainesville Sun reported. An autopsy found no evidence of drug use, foul play or suicide, and the cause of death is not yet known. A toxicology report will reveal more information in two to three months. His mother, Lori Greenberg, told police that Greenberg was never sick and said that medical examiners were “as baffled as I am,” according to the Gainesville Sun. Greenberg founded Grooveshark with Sam Tarantino in 2006 when the two were freshmen at the University of Florida. The site, which allowed users to stream music uploaded by other users for free, shut down on April 30 after a protracted legal battle with several of the largest record companies, including Universal, Sony and Warner Music. At its peak,
Grooveshark boasted some 40 million users and 145 employees in Gainesville and New York City. Greenberg’s mother said her son was not troubled by the result of the lawsuit because he was working on a series of new ventures, including a new mobile music app.
Burt Shavitz, Jewish co-founder of Burt’s Bees, dies at 80
JTA — Burt Shavitz, the Jewish beekeeper and co-founder of the Burt’s Bees cosmetics company, has died. Shavitz, born Ingram Shavitz in Manhattan in 1935, died of respiratory problems in Bangor, Maine, July 5 while surrounded by family and friends. He grew the Burt’s Bees company with business partner, Roxanne Quimby, and his scraggly, bearded image became the face of the brand. Quimby bought out Shavitz’s share in the company for an undisclosed sum in the mid-1990s before Burt’s Bees was sold to Clorox for $925 million in 2007. Shavitz has said that he was forced out of the company because he had an affair with an employee. In addition to the buyout money, Shavitz received 37 acres of land in Maine. “In the long run, I got the land, and land is everything. Land is positively everything. And money
is nothing really worth squabbling about. This is what puts people six feet under. You know, I don’t need it,” he said last year. After spending time in the U.S. Army and working as a photographer for TimeLife, Shavitz left New York and moved to Maine in 1970, where he began making honey. In the 1980s he met Quimby, who made new products from Shavitz’s beeswax and moved the company to North Carolina in 1994. “Burt was an enigma; my mentor and my muse. I am deeply saddened,” Quimby told The Associated Press. Shavitz was the subject of the 2014 documentary “Burt’s Buzz,” which delved into his unusual career and eventually reclusive life in Maine. “Roxanne Quimby wanted money and power, and I was just a pillar on the way to that success,” Shavitz said in the film. Shavitz owned three Golden Retrievers and had a reputation for being a quirky, straight-talking hippie. “We remember him as a bearded, free-spirited Maine man, a beekeeper, a wisecracker, a lover of golden retrievers and his land,” the Burt’s Bees company said in a statement.
Nicholas Winton, Kindertransport organizer, dies at 106
JTA – Sir Nicholas Winton, who
organized the Kindertransport that rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, has died. Winton, known as the “British Schindler,” died July 1 at 106. The baptized son of Jewish parents, Winton was a 29-yearold stockbroker when he arrived in Prague in December 1938. He was planning to go on a skiing holiday in Switzerland, but changed his plans when he heard about the refugee crisis in Czechoslovakia, which had just been occupied by the Nazis. In the following nine months, he organized eight trains that carried children, the vast majority of them Jewish, from Czechoslovakia to safety in the Britain. Winton’s heroism was unremarked until the 1980s, when his wife found evidence of the rescues. Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, praised Winton for his “exceptional courage, selflessness and modesty.” Winton received many honors in his later years, including a knighthood. Last year, the Czech government flew him to Prague in a military plane to receive the country’s highest honor.