Myra Landau

Myra Landau, of Newton, Massachusetts, passed away on February 21, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. She was a beautiful, tenacious, and loving 85-year-old at the time of her death. Myra was the cherished mother of daughter Jodi Landau and her husband, Joseph Sieber, of Weston, and daughter Stacy Landau of Needham, and devoted grandmother of Hillary Sieber and her husband Adam Russman of Arlington, Jennifer Sieber and her fiancé Eric Gruebel of Cambridge, Nicole Saylor and her husband Duncan Johnson of Boston, Josh Saylor of Needham, and Michelle Saylor of Somerville and her partner Dan Klein of Boston, and dear sister Adrienne Hirschfeld of Palm Desert, California.

Myra was the daughter of Shirley Unterman Shafran and Joseph Shafran of Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Brooklyn surrounded by a large and loving family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. Myra, always an exceptional student, graduated from Tilden High School at the age of 16 as a member of the National Honor Society (ARISTA), and went to work at M. Golodetz & Company on Wall Street to help support her mother and sister, as her beloved father had died when she was a teenager.

Her life-long love affair with her husband Sheldon started at a high school dance. They both came to the dance with other dates, but when she saw the handsome, tall man across the dance floor and he spotted her in that chiffon dress, the courtship began and the rest was history. Two years later they were married, and they celebrated 57 wonderful years together until Sheldon passed in 2012. Myra and Sheldon were dedicated life partners who always believed they had hit the jackpot by finding each other. They also created a large circle of love and friendship with people who they met throughout their lives.

Their journey and Sheldon’s work took them to West Nyack, New York and Highland Park, Illinois, before settling down in Newton, Massachusetts. In each of the places they lived, Myra was a vital member of the Jewish community, working as a volunteer in support of organizations including Hadassah and the Organization for Rehabilitation Through Training (ORT). Together, Myra and Sheldon traveled the world and it was hard to name a place they had not visited. The many friends they met on their travels were added to their ever-growing circle.

Myra loved to connect with people and her close friendships reached across every generation. Even the pandemic and quarantine barely slowed down her social calendar, which shifted to Zoom, including her three different monthly book group meetings. She was known far and wide for being a fantastic hostess (famous for martinis, kasha varnishkes and her glazed baked Hebrew National salamis) and she loved entertaining friends frequently. Her competitive nature made her a force to be reckoned with at mahjongg, Words With Friends, and gin rummy. She and Sheldon loved a sing-along and would often greet guests at the door with a song and a hug.

After Sheldon passed, Myra, independent and determined, continued to build a loving community at Nahanton Woods in Newton and in Palm Beach, Florida where she spent the winters in recent years. While she was typically the last to leave a party, she was always the first to offer help to any friend in need, dedicating countless hours of care and showing her love through a noodle kugel or her delicious meatballs. Myra was also a cornerstone member of Temple Shalom of Newton and a longtime member of Pine Brook Country Club of Weston.

As a lifelong learner and advocate, Myra decided to seek a college degree while also raising her young family. She received a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Framingham State College. After graduating, she taught public school in Brookline and worked as an administrator at the Learning Prep School in Newton for many years. Myra was also a champion of many social causes throughout her life, unrelentingly supportive of the rights and dignity of every person. She received awards of recognition for her work lobbying the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, advocating for youth mental health services, and, in recent years, she protested at the MA State House in favor of immigration reform with her youngest granddaughter. She was deeply engaged in the world, eager to learn about the issues of the time and the changing world she was a part of.

Myra had endless pride in her family. Seeing her daughters grow up and have careers and families of their own brought Myra immense joy, and she was a dedicated and adoring grandmother. She and Sheldon were their children and grandchildren’s biggest cheerleaders, attending every dance recital, band concert, graduation, and endless sports games – all with such frequency and enthusiasm that the teachers and coaches knew them by name. In recent years, Myra found much joy in watching her grandchildren start to build their own adult lives, starting careers and finding life partners whom she loved dearly.

Myra was a force of nature who cared deeply for the people in her life and will be missed by so many.

Funeral services, open to friends and family, will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 at 11am, at Temple Shalom, 175 Temple Street, West Newton, MA and can also be viewed via Livestream. Please click on this link: https://www.templeshalom.org/livestream Interment to follow at Beit Olam Cemetery, Wayland.

The family will be observing shiva on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 6:30pm via Zoom.

To join please click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4266299160?pwd=UUpOVElnanE3bW1OQzB6YS9QQnNOUT09

Passcode: TS@Home

The family will also be observing shiva in person at Temple Shalom on Monday, Feb. 27 from 6:30 to 8:00pm. For all in person services and shiva, masks and proof of vaccination (including booster), are required. Please present your proof of vaccination upon entering the building.

Expressions of sympathy in Myra's memory may be made to Dr. Brad Dickerson's Dementia Research Lab in the MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit in support of the clinical care and research efforts for individuals living with Frontotemporal Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease, and related disorders. For more information, please click on this link: https://ftdboston.org/donate/ or you may mail a donation check (payable to “Massachusetts General Hospital” Memo: FTD Unit - In Memory of Myra Landau) to: Alexandra Van Strien, Mass General Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Ste 540, Boston, MA 02114