OBITUARIES

ing about their lives and was a great listener. She was happiest when her family was happy and healthy. She lit up the room with her beautiful blue eyes and infectious laugh and entertained us with stories from her youth. She cooked us all our favorite foods including meatballs, veal stew and rice pudding. She loved going on yearly family vacations, weekly sleepovers and Sunday night dinners at Legal Seafoods. She loved to sing, listen to music and dance with her dance partner and friend, Falco DeIngenis.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living for their care and love and most recently to Meryl Lovitz, Rosemarie Maggio and HopeHealth Hospice.

Contributions may be made to the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick, RI 02886 or HopeHealth Hospice and Palliative Care, 1085 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904.

Rhoda Sandler, 78

QUINCY, MASS. – Rhoda Sandler, of Quincy, Massachusetts and previously Providence, passed away on June 21, 2023, at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Alfred J. and Beatrice (Kraus) Sandler.

Rhoda graduated from Hope High School in 1963 and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Lesley University in 1967. She was always at the top of her class, serving as valedictorian in junior high, high school and college. A member of the Quincy and Massachusetts Teachers Unions, Ms. Sandler was a teacher in the Quincy School Department for 39 years, retiring in 2002.

Survivors include one brother, Gordon Sandler of New Jersey, and one nephew, Donald Sandler of Natick, Massachusetts. She was the sister of the late Lester Sandler.

Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741.

Miriam Schindler, 101 Miriam M. (Jablonsky) Schindler, of North Carolina and previously Rhode Island, passed away on June 21, 2023.

She was the loving wife of the late Herbert W. Schindler. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Max and Sarah (Selkin) Jablonsky.

Mrs. Schindler was a bookkeeper in the insurance business for many years before retiring. She enjoyed golfing, playing canasta and especially loved spending time with her family.

Survivors include: three daughters, Laurie Goldman and her husband, Stephan, of Warwick, Merril Schindler of North Carolina and Ronnie Hauptman and her husband, David of Colorado; six grandchildren, Kevin Goldman and his wife, Sasha, Scott Goldman and his wife, Patricia, Brian Goldman and his wife, Jhen, James Goldman and his wife, Danielle, Rachel Hauptman and Stephanie Garg and her husband Vivek; 16 great-grandchildren, Callie, Annabel, Hazel, Michael, Xavier, Joshua, Zenna, Rosalie, Quinn, Isabelle, Gabriel, Theodore, Max, Sari, Isha and Ajay; many nieces and nephews.

She was the sister of the late Anne Kesselman, Louis Jablonsky, Jack Jablonsky, Phillip Jablonsky and Abraham Jablons.

Tovia Siegel, 91 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Tovia Ann (Mancoll) Siegel, of Providence, passed away on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, to Dr. Morris and Edith (Melamed) Mancoll, Tovia graduated from The Northfield School, Pembroke College (BA) and URI (MLS). She was a librarian at Temple Emanu-El, The Wheeler School and The Gordon School, where she inspired so many to read with insatiable curiosity. She was active in many community organizations, including The Miriam Hospital Women’s Association, where she served as president and editor of “Simply Delicious.”

Tovia was married to Dr. Jason C. Siegel for 64 years until his death in 2018. She was predeceased by her parents; her in-laws, Flora and Harry Siegel; her brothers, Dr. Harry Mancoll and Dr. William Mancoll; and her brother-in-law, Melvin Safner. She is survived by her daughters Sarah (Paul Stein) and Rachel (Irwin Gelber); her sister, Isadora Safner; her sisters-in-law, Terrie Mancoll and Anita Mancoll; her many nieces and nephews; and the colleagues and friends who were lucky enough to know her.

Donations may be made to The Wm. G. Braude Library Fund, Temple Beth El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence RI 02906.

Donald Simon, 78 PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Donald H. Simon, of Pawtucket, passed away on June 4, 2023, at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. He was the husband of Carolyn (Wolf) Simon, with whom he shared 48 years of marriage.

Born in New York City, he was the son of the late Harold and Mildred (Koscherak) Simon.

Mr. Simon was the president of the Sunrise Corporation Inc., which was the first nonprofit ad agency in Rhode Island. After closing Sunrise Corporation, he opened the East Side Art Center in 1992. An avid gardener, he enjoyed listening to records, traveling and doing work around the house.

In addition to his wife, Carolyn, he is survived by one daughter, Eryn Lunde, of Barrington; two grandchildren, Emma and Mark Lunde; one sister, Nancy Fulton, and her husband, David, of Brookline, Massachusetts; one brother, Roger Simon, of New York City; three nieces, Julie Fulton, Kate Fulton and Abigail Simon; and two nephews, Noah and Daniel Simon.

Dr. Sanford Spraragen, 95 TENAFLY, N.J. – Dr. Sanford Chester Spraragen passed away on June 12, 2023. Beloved husband, father, grandfather and physician, he was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1927 to a family of engineers.

After one year of college at MIT, he was drafted and served in the U.S. Army. While stationed in Germany, he befriended a Hungarian couple who were Holocaust survivors. He wrote to his father, to help sponsor their immigration to the U.S.

Upon returning to MIT, he changed his major to biology. Following graduation he earned a Master’s Degree in Radiation Biology and an MD at the University of Rochester Medical School. In 1954 he married Barbara Fox, also of Schenectady.

After two years as a research associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Dr. Spraragen became an assistant professor of Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.

His next move was to Brooklyn, New York, to become chief of Nuclear Medicine at the VA Hospital and clinical associate professor of Radiology at Downstate Medical Center. There he continued his research in hypertension and atherosclerosis utilizing nuclear medicine diagnostics.

In 1972 he moved to East Greenwich. As director of Nuclear Medicine at The Miriam Hospital, he also joined Brown University’s clinical faculty. In the 1980s he opened a private practice while continuing at the VA in Providence.

In retirement, he enjoyed playing the trumpet, and volunteered as a docent at the Roger Williams Zoo. He was proud to have “discovered” Rhode Island and welcomed friends and relatives to visit so that he could show them why.

Dr. Spraragen donated to many charities including Hadassah and the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, in honor of his wife who predeceased him in 2018. He is survived by his children David, Lisa, Susan, Joseph and nine grandchildren.

Shirley Wolpert, 97 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Shirley Sugarman Wolpert, of Providence and Narragansett, passed away on June 29, 2023, after a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Irving Wolpert.

Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Robert and Jennie (Rudis) Sugarman, she was a lifelong resi- dent of the city.

A graduate of Classical High School, class of 1942, Shirley earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pembroke College in 1946. She later worked as a receptionist at the Maddock Alumni Center at Brown University, greeting a variety of visitors, from George Harrison to Howard Cosell to foreign dignitaries, over the 28 years she was there. Shirley was a very active and devoted member of the Pembroke Club of Providence for many years.

An avid Patriots fan, she especially enjoyed the years Tom Brady was quarterback and was very sad to see him leave New England. Shirley truly loved summers spent with family at her home in Narragansett and always enjoyed time spent at Narragansett Town Beach.

She is survived by two children, Bruce Wolpert and his wife, Marlene Fishman Wolpert, of Providence and Nancy Rachman and her husband, Dr. Arnold Rachman, of Manhattan, New York; two grandchildren, Michael Wolpert and his wife, Ashley, and Jonathan Wolpert and his wife, Serena; three great-grandchildren, Rachel, Matthew and Olivia and several nieces and nephews, including Paul, Marjorie and Judi with whom she was very close. She was the sister of the late Dr. Herman Sugarman and Blossom Roodin.

The Wolpert family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Shirley’s caregivers for the kindness and compassionate care they had given her over the past year.

Contributions may be made to the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island, 85 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

BY ADAM G. SMITH AND MICHAEL D. SMITH, F.D., R.E., Shalom Memorial Chapel

What should I do if I miss my mother’s Yahrzeit date?

D.S., Barrington Dear D.S.,

If you miss the yahrzeit date of any family member, the recommendation is to attend synagogue and recite Kaddish on the next closest Shabbat, according to the rabbis I spoke to. They also added, “Saying Kaddish late is better than not saying it at all.”

HAVE A QUESTION? Email it to ShalomChapel@aol.com, or mail it to Ask the Director, c/o Shalom Memorial Chapel, 1100 New London Ave., Cranston, R.I. 02920.