Jean F. Berezin

Jean Friedlander Berezin passed away from complications related to Alzheimer’s Disease and Covid-19 on December 15, 2020. On December 10, 1936, Jean Friedlander was born in Carbondale, Illinois to her beloved parents, Harry and Bessie Friedlander of Johnson City, Illinois. Jean was a devoted Daughter and loved her parents dearly. To ensure their only child would be surrounded by family, receive a great education and experience the best of city life, Bessie moved Jean to St. Louis, Missouri, frequently commuting back to Illinois to visit Harry. Jean loved St. Louis, and always considered it home. Growing up, Jean made life-long friends (including Eleanor “Cookie” Goldberg, Bonnie Levens, Marcia Narter, Lynne Crane Schneider, Joyce Babchick Margulis, and Shirley Neal), and grew very close to her cousins (including Ilene Friedlander Albaum) and other extended family members (including her Bubbe, Ida Friedlander) with whom she would remain close throughout her life. Jean proved to be an excellent student, and proudly graduated 18th in her class in 1954 from University City High School. From there, Jean decided to leave the confines of St. Louis for the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Jean became a proud “fighting Illini.” Once in college, Jean joined the sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi where she made other life-long friends, including her college roommate and childhood friend Nancy Siwak, and Sandy Mendelson Nachenberg. True to form, Jean had excellent grades in college.

After her sophomore year, Jean married her college sweetheart, Myron Berezin in 1957. They were an inseparable couple and would remain married for sixty-three years. Jean was Mike’s rock, the foundation on which his life would be built, and his dear, beloved wife for many decades. Mike was blessed to have Jean, and he will always cherish her memory. For Jean, no one, save her children, was more important to her than Mike. Jean and Mike had three children – Tracy, David and Robert. Jean was a loving, adoring and attentive Mother to her children as they grew up, and she remained dedicated to them throughout her life. Jean also was a proud, adoring and loving grandmother. Her grandchildren meant the world to Jean, and they knew just how she felt.

After they married, Jean and Mike lived in Chicago, Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri, Parsippany, New Jersey and then Miami, Florida, where Jean lived for nearly fifty years. In Miami, Jean became dear friends with the late Barbara Gelles. As but one example of their incredible friendship, Jean, not normally comfortable on stage, and Barbara famously took dancing classes at Joe Michael’s Miami Dance Center, learning from Mia and Joe himself. Jean ended up loving performing in the dance recitals, and even enrolled her teen sons so they too could learn jazz and tap dancing. In addition to her beloved friend Barbara, Jean’s closest friends in Miami also included Ronnie Gelles, Nancy Gelles, Maggie Silverstein, Bernie Silverstein, Arline and Larry Silver, Susan Gordon and Roy Krochmal.

In 1976, Jean returned to college to complete her studies. In 1978, she graduated from F.I.U. with high honors in accounting and easily passed the CPA exam in one sitting. Jean then began a thirty-two year career as an accountant – preparing tax returns for individuals and business clients who trusted Jean and remained loyal to her for decades. Jean started her accounting career with Lustig and Lustig, and then joined Scheckner CPA. She became a partner and formed Scheckner Berezin where she remained until founding her own firm, Jean F. Berezin, CPA, in 1999. Jean was a consummate professional, respected and admired for her honesty, integrity, incredible work ethic and technical excellence. She succeeded in spite of prevailing attitudes about women in the workplace, and her experiences forged a strong belief that women should be treated equally. She supported her female colleagues and gave pro bono lectures to women about financial matters. Jean also was active in the Jewish Community Center of South Florida, and treasurer of Friends of the Lowe Art Museum.

Jean is survived by her husband Mike Berezin, daughter Tracy, son David and his wife Angelica, their step children, Anjanette and Janina (and step great grandchildren Isabella, Nicolas, Daniel, Amelia and Abigail), and son Robert and his spouse Sharyn, and four grandchildren William, Samuel, Elijah, and Georgia. She dearly loved her family, friends, and most of all adored her grandchildren. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew her. Graveside services were held at Mt.Nebo, Kendall. Memorials can be directed to Alzheimer’s Association Southeast Florida Chapter, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.