Beatrice Michaels

Beatrice Michaels1919 - 2018 Dan, Paul and Lee are sad to announce, that our beloved mother Bea passed away Thursday morning, unexpectedly but peacefully, at home, attended by her adored cat Lily. She lived a happy, fulfilling 99 years in New York City and Sarasota, and was kind, cheerful and feisty right down to her last day. In the past day, so many people have commented on her "sweet smile" and how much they enjoyed seeing her at Sarasota Bay Club, her home for the past 18 years. It's a sad feeling to wake up and realize you have lost a parent, and we already miss her dearly. A bit about our mother. Bea was born in NYC in 1919 to Russian immigrants Samuel and Gussie Sherwin and was the youngest of 6 children. Gussie died when Bea was 12, but as she has written "one year later my father remarried and it was the luckiest day of my life. My stepmother was the most kind, loving, caring and intelligent person I have ever known, so it was her nurturing that developed me into the person I am." The widow of a famous rabbi, Dora Palitz "instilled in me a love and pride in Judaism. "Throughout her life, Bea considered herself an organizer and an activist. She was proud of having been Assistant to the fund-raising director of the Adlai Stevenson presidential campaign, Registrar and Executive Secretary at the Park Avenue Synagogue, personal secretary to noted philanthropist William Rosenwald, and to the Directors of the Institute for Psychotherapy, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Most proudly, and not known by many, was her role as a social worker from 1939-1944 for the National Refugee Service, assisting new arrivals to the country and helping in the effort to save Jews in Europe during this time. In 1957 she met and married CPA Arthur, our dad, and soon along came rascals Dan and Paul. She was married to Art until his passing in 1998. Later in life, our mother's volunteer activities are too numerous to even try and list. She was president and a founder of the National Council of Jewish Women in Roslyn, NY and Sarasota, a board member and committee member of the Child Development Center, Jewish Federation, Temples Beth Sholom and Beth Israel, Hadassah, and the Women's Resource Center, among many others. Most notably she and our father, Arthur, endowed and created the Michaels Learning Center pre-school and the Arthur and Beatrice Michaels Senior Center at the now- closed Jewish Community Center. And, a few years back, she was an avid tennis player. In fact, many people commented on her wielding a deadly racquet at Bath and Racquet and the Longboat Key Club. On her 95th birthday, Bea wrote, "I am very privileged to have had a long and healthy and interesting life and careers." She remained positive and as active as she could right to her final week when she attended Carmen, went out for barbeque in downtown Sarasota, celebrated Valentine's Day with roses from Dan and delicious chocolate strawberries from Paul and Lee, and had a dinner party with friends at SBC.In her final years, our mom was cared for by dedicated and loving aides Myung, Anna and Loida, who were a source of comfort to her and all of us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. She is survived by Dan, Paul and Lee, two granddaughters, Kate and Lindsey, who were the lights of her life, and many nieces, nephews, and grand- and grand-grand nieces and nephews, who loved her as she loved them. A funeral service will be held at Toale Brothers, 40 N. Orange Avenue, on Sunday at 11, and the family will observe shiva in Apartment 307, Sarasota Bay Club, on Sunday from 2-6. Also please join us if you can for a celebration of her life with memorabilia and photos, on Monday from 3-5 in the Bay Club Lounge.

Tributes

Beatrice Michaels

February 22, 2018