June Ruth Kerman (née Goldstein) died peacefully on November 21, 2020 in Westfield, NJ at the age of 94. June is survived by her brother, Robert Daniel Goldstein of La Jolla, CA, her children: Daniel L. Kerman of Beverly Hills, CA, Charles W. Kerman of Cranford, NJ, and Benjamin D. Kerman of Eden, NY, her beloved children-in-law: Rick Hinds, Donna Kerman, Carol McLaughlin and Sarah Baird, her ten grandchildren: Michael and Aaron Kerman, Rachel, Julia, and Amy Hinds, Jonathan and Hannah Kerman, Xander, Eva, and Nathaniel Kerman, and her great-granddaughter Raya Kingston Hinds. June was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Max Kerman, and by her daughters, Ann Leah Kerman Hinds and Susan Louise Kerman.
June Goldstein was born on June 24, 1926 in Newark, NJ to Sydney and Walter Goldstein. As a young girl, June loved dolls and books, and enjoyed playing librarian, often directing her little brother Robert in supporting roles. As a teenager, during WWII, she sorted mail as a civilian volunteer at Camp Kilmer. June earned a scholarship to The Cooper Union Art School where she thrived in her studies, and also joined the student government. There, she met debonair pipe-smoking Max Kerman, President of the Student Council, a Navy veteran studying in Cooper’s School of Engineering.
After marrying in 1951, the young couple found an apartment in Chelsea, then another in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and began to raise a family. In 1958 they moved to Leonia, NJ, and raised four children in a home and in a community they treasured, with neighbors and friends whom they respected and loved. June and Max lived on Magnolia Place for more than fifty years and, after Max passed in 2008, June lived there until 2015.
June was a talented artist. One of her first professional jobs was illustrating the TV Guide with her whimsical cartoons. Throughout her life she used her talents and training to enhance her many communities, volunteering countless hours to Congregation Sons of Israel, in which she played key roles in the Dora Schneider Sisterhood, the establishment and maintenance of the Youth Groups, and as Trustee. She was active in her Cooper Union Alumni association, in the Leonia Dems, in the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework and several other groups. She could be relied on for beautifully designed wedding invitations and birth announcements. She regularly supported public television and many, many charities. She adored her neighbors and her town, and was already ready to contribute.
In recent years, June lived at Five Star Premier Residences of Teaneck, and at Sunrise of Westfield. We would like to acknowledge the staff of those institutions and offer them our heartfelt thanks for taking care of her in her later years.
An online memorial service is planned for Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 4:00PM (Eastern). For more information. please go to https://forms.gle/ByQYBNWYA3E11JDD6.
To make a gesture in June’s memory, please support The Cooper Union’s June and Max Kerman Memorial Fund. Visit cooper.edu/give, OR call (212) 353-4164,
OR mail to: The Cooper Union, P.O. Box 22422, New York, NY 10087-2422.
Please indicate that the gift is in memory of June Kerman, Art School, Class of 1948, and that it is part of the June and Max Kerman Memorial Fund.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18