Iris Nadel

Iris Nadel, an only child, was born 94 years ago in New York City. She was raised in Brooklyn by her father (a tailor), her mother (a garment worker) and her bubbe. Iris has fond memories of Brooklyn, including taking the subway from the Newport-Saratoga Avenue station for a nickel with her friends – often to the city to see Broadway plays.

Her Jewish upbringing permeated her life in many ways: she spoke only Yiddish prior to kindergarten and attended Yiddish schools so she could read and write it as well. She also attended Hebrew school. Upon graduation from high school, she went to business school to become a comptometer operator (a machine of the past!) and worked for Lerner department stores and Brentano bookstore.

After her father died, she made a trip to California with her mother to visit cousins. While there, she met Dale on a blind date. He proposed three weeks later, and they were happily married for 43 years.

After marrying, Iris and Dale moved to the Hollywood area. They had two children (Ila and Steve). From Hollywood they moved to the Valley for 12 years, and then returned to Hollywood. After Dale died 28 years ago, she went to Mission Viejo to be closer to her son and his family. After five years in Mission Viejo, she moved to Santa Rosa – this time to be closer to her daughter. She has three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Through the years Iris has been active in many groups and in a variety of ways – Multipurpose Cultural Center, Golden Age Club, Laguna Beach Club and Newport Beach Club. She loved their discussion groups and trips.

Iris volunteered in a number or organizations, including tutoring students in Spanish and Hebrew and monitoring Spanish Recording for the Blind. As chair of a PTA group, she was responsible for bringing free Saturday movies to kids in her community, and in the absence of a Jewish Scout troop, she and Dale formed one at the temple. She was a “behind the scenes” activist, and through the Jewish War Veterans, she and Dale shared time with hospitalized veterans.

Iris lived in a senior housing complex during her twelve years in Santa Rosa. She had many friends in her senior community and was well loved by her friends and her family. Although she had many health challenges in her last few years, Iris continued to enjoy life to the best of her abilities.

A graveside service for Iris will be held Sunday, September 15, 2024 from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, California 90068.