Shirley D. Gordon

The oldest of the three children of Fannie and Jacob Schragis, she was born on December 18, 1927 in Peekskill, NY. She graduated as Salutatorian from Peekskill High School in 1945 and attended William Smith College, where she met her beloved Seymour, a student at Hobart College, whom she married in 1948. They graduated together in 1949, and she graduated Summa Cum Laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

In 1958, already a mother of two, Shirley returned to university studies at SUNY New Paltz, receiving her Masters Degree in Education in 1963. She taught in Warwick’s elementary schools beginning in 1964, teaching first grade, then Kindergarten, then third grade, took a break after the birth of her youngest child in 1968, and returned to teaching as a reading specialist until her retirement in 1986. In her retirement, she also taught reading to adults as part of Literacy Volunteers. When asked what accomplishment she was most proud of, she replied: “I’m most proud of my ability to teach kids and adults to read. That’s why I became a teacher.”

She was a member of the Albert Wisner Public Library Board in Warwick, serving as President for 2 years and as a trustee for 13 years. She was instrumental in getting an addition built on its original early 20th Century building and then in shepherding the library to a new state-of-the-art structure in a new Warwick location. She was also president of ENCORE Continuing Education at SUNY Orange County Community College.

While living in Warwick, she was an active member of Temple Beth Shalom in Florida, NY and later active at Temple Sinai, in Middletown, NY. Shirley delivered Meals on Wheels to Warwick seniors for 30 years, retiring from that activity only when she moved to South Orange. Upon her arrival in South Orange, she became active with several organizations: Friends of the South Orange Library, South Orange Seniors, the Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges, and Jewish Family Services, under whose auspices she read to pre-school children over zoom. She joined Congregation Beth El in South Orange and was active there and a frequent attendee of its morning minyan.

Shirley was an avid and excellent bridge player, an enthusiastic walker, and played tennis well into her 80’s. She was an especially engaged grandmother and great-grandmother, playing board games, card games and assembling jigsaw puzzles with both patience and enthusiasm, but beyond that, she was a master at making and maintaining friendships. Throughout her life, she kept in constant touch with childhood friends, college friends, Warwick friends, Middletown friends, people of all ages and walks of life. And when she left Warwick, she proceeded to make scores of new friends in her new community, and made a lasting impact on everyone she met.

Shirley and Seymour enjoyed almost 62 years of marriage. Shirley is survived by her daughters, Joy Markel of South Orange, NJ and Leah Gomberg of Maplewood, NJ and was pre-deceased by Seymour in 2010 and their son, David Gordon, who died in 1977. Her son-in-law Shimon Gadish died in 1978. She was predeceased by her sister, Rae Messenger and brother, Alvin Schragis. She was the beloved mother-in-law of Jeffrey Markel and David Gomberg and of Pascale Michel – widow of David Gordon. She was the loving grandmother of Nadav Markel, Anne Coyle, Sara Markel-Gonzalez, José Gonzalez, David Markel, and Sam, Eli and Noah Gomberg, and the great-grandmother of Sylvie and Theo Markel and Sadie and Ruby Gonzalez. As the last of her generation on both the Schragis and Gordon sides of the family, she was the beloved matriarch of a large, close-knit group of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00am on Friday, December 15 at Congregation Beth El in South Orange, with burial at Temple Beth Shalom Cemetery in Warwick, NY. Please contact Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 973-422-0600 for shiva details.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Shirley Gordon’s memory may be made to: Southern Poverty Law Center, American World Jewish Services, Congregation Beth El Morning Minyan (which distributes contributions to a variety of causes and charities), Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges, or a charity of your choice which reflects the values Shirley held dear.