Carol (Rockman) Feinberg Cohen

Carol June Rockman was born June 3, 1928 at the Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain/Boston, MA; she was the youngest child and 5th daughter of the late Ben Rockman and Mae (née Manetsky) Rockman.

Carol is survived by her loving children: Joan Feinberg Berns of MA, Amy (née Feinberg) Galen of Maine, and Mark Feinberg (Janet) of MA.

She was predeceased by her sisters: Anne R. Everets, Evelyn R. Mann Jaffe, Estelle R. Frank, Elaine R. Umans, and by her niece, Frances “Frankie” E. Rosser, and by her nephews, Richard Umans, John Stayman and James Mann.

Carol is also survived by her beloved sister-in-law, June Marie Feinberg Stayman, her oldest and dearest friend, and by several nephews and nieces: Steven Sherman of MD, John Rockman Frank of FL, Susan Stayman of MA, and Jo Umans of NY.

A graduate of Newton High School ’46, she attended Lasell College briefly, leaving to marry Norman S. Feinberg, also of Newton. They raised 3 children in Newton Center: Joan Feinberg Berns, Amy (née Feinberg) Galen and Mark Feinberg.

As a volunteer for the Ten Aiders, a group of women who worked to support and raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital, in particular funds for Cystic Fibrosis and the Respiratory Unit, Carol was a very active and engaged member of the community. She also tutored children with learning disabilities in the Boston Public Schools and greater Boston area, and volunteered in the Gift Shop of the original Beth Israel Hospital (now BIDMC), where her late father, Ben Rockman, was a Founding Trustee in 1950.

After Norman died in 1987, she became a Florida resident and spent time in Boston during the summer months and traveled to visit her children and grandchildren. In 2002, she married Julian Cohen; they spent 5 happy years together, until Julie died suddenly in 2007. Julian’s daughters, Marjorie Cohen Stanzler and Ellen Cohen, were very fond of Carol, and she returned their warm affection.

Carol was a young grandmother, and she devoted time to each of her eight grandchildren, over many decades; each of them developed a special relationship with her, and all of them adored her: Ari Galen (Britt) of WA, Tamara Galen Unikewicz of CA, David Berns (Lee-Anne) of MD, Sarah Berns (Daren Belsby) of WA, Andrew Berns (Mara Zepeda) of SC, twins Benjamin “Jamie” (Jessica) of NY & Jeremy Galen of NY, and Alex Feinberg of NY.

Eleven great-grandchildren filled Carol’s life with an extra measure of joy over the past 25 years: Noah, Gabe & Anaiah Galen of WA; Sam and Aaron Berns of MD, Genevieve and Spencer Unikewicz of CA; Ayla and Maeve Berns Belsby of WA; and Wyeth and Edison Galen of NY.

Carol’s philanthropy over decades with her two husbands was directed to the Beth Israel Hospital (now BIDMC), to Boston Children’s Hospital, to Brandeis University and to Hebrew SeniorLife; to Jewish Federation of Palm Beach and to CJP of Boston, to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts of Palm Beach and to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Donations in Carol’s memory may be made to: The Rockman, Feinberg, Berns Endowed Scholarship Fund at Brandeis; checks can be sent to Brandeis University/Institutional Advancement Office, 415 South Street, MS 122, Waltham, MA 02453, www.brandeis.edu (on the website, in the designation field, scroll down, the last option is "other", select that, then type in the fund name) or to Hebrew SeniorLife Hospice Care: Development Office, 1200 Centre St. Roslindale, MA 02026.

Carol was our dearly beloved matriarch and a wonderful friend to many in several places across the country, some of whom she had known since her youth. A loving and talented hostess, she enjoyed giving beautiful, lavish dinner parties and luncheons to delight her friends and family. She loved exquisitely made clothes and was always elegant and classically fashionable. Her favorite flower was lily-of-the-valley, and her favorite foods were desserts: coffee ice cream with butterscotch sauce, dark chocolate, and Mary Theresa’s coconut layer cake.

A lifelong member of Belmont Country Club in Belmont, MA and a twenty-year member of the Palm Beach Country Club in FL, Carol enjoyed playing cards, socializing, and joining friends for a little golf.

We will miss her terribly every day, but will remain deeply grateful for her very long life and comforted by the knowledge that she is in peace.

The family would like to thank those who have taken loving and tender care of our mother and grandmother: Marlene Kish of FL, Ana Lopez of MA; Reva Levy, Caleene Mullings, and Dru Warren of MA, and Hebrew SeniorLife's Hospice Team.