Bertha Harris Bluman

When BERTHA walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who BERTHA was and how she impacted those around her. BERTHA was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if BERTHA wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. BERTHA was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.       She was the daughter of David and Rose Harris. BERTHA was raised in Syracuse, New York. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew BERTHA might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that BERTHA was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.      BERTHA was raised with three siblings. She had one older brother Izzy and two older sisters Gerty and Yetta. BERTHA was very accepting and supportive of her family. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, BERTHA was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served BERTHA well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.      As a young girl, BERTHA was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. BERTHA was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities.BERTHA had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.      With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, BERTHA was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, BERTHA was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, friends. While growing up, her best friends were her sisters Gerty and Yetta. Later in life, she became friends with Patti Buddy,Shirley Rieck and Jeanne Kosloff.      On November 17, 1946 BERTHA married Milton Bluman at Beth Shalom Synagogue of Syracuse, New York. Bertha's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Milton's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. BERTHA was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.      BERTHA was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For BERTHA, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Bertha's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. BERTHA was blessed with three Children: One son David, two daughters Rosanne and Renee.      BERTHA was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities Her primary occupation was housewife and mother. She was employed at Dey Bros. and Marine Midland Bank after her children were grown. BERTHA had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight.       Because BERTHA loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were loving her family, cutting coupons and watching television also organizing her pictures. BERTHA had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes and family. However, Bertha's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.      Throughout her life, BERTHA was compassionate,and a friend to everyone. She loved her family more than anything especially her grandson Michael who was the apple of her eye. The week before she passed she told Michael that when he came out she took over, how true that was.      BERTHA was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member B'nai Brith.      Bertha's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing family and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, BERTHA took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Canada to visit her sister.           When Bertha's retirement finally came in 1979, BERTHA handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Her new life involved relocating to Florida. After her husband died in 1982 she devoted her life to her children and grandchildren. In retirement, she found new pleasure in Bingo and slot machines. Even in retirement, BERTHA continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones. In 1998 she lost her son David to cancer, that was her hardest challenge to overcome. It broke her heart.      BERTHA BLUMAN passed away on August 2, 2009 at home. She fought a brave battle with COPD. She is survived by 2 daughters Rosanne and Renee, their husbands Eric and Marc,and her close grandchildren Michael and Matt. Services were held at Star of David. BERTHA was laid to rest in Star of David.      There was always a certain style and inventiveness to BERTHA. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to BERTHA for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even her everlasting courage. BERTHA was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.