Irma is survived by her loving daughter Jacqueline Dubowsky, and her husband Farlen Halikman, of Orlando, FL, and their daughters: Emilia Lebovitz and husband Michael and their son, Henry, of Palm Harbor, FL, Lyla Berlant, and husband, Sam and their son, Jonah, of Orlando, FL.
Irma is also survived by her loving daughter Susan Dubowsky-Nehab and husband Micky Nehab and their children: Ben Nehab and wife Tal and their children, David, Yuli, and Ella; Dana Nehab and husband, Yoav Goldbaum and their son, Adam; and Karen Nehab and Ron Nehab, all of Israel.
Irma is also survived by her only sibling, Lois Allen, wife of the late Richard Allen, and nephew, Bruce, and niece, Robin, all of CA.
Irma was the first child of Joseph and Bella Manecofsky (née Linsky) and the first grandchild of Jacob and Annie Linsky,(née Feldman), and Isaac and Annie (née Beckerman) Manecofsky. Jacob “Zaide” Linsky was a furrier and tailor, trained in Dubno, Russia, immigrating by himself to the US in the late 1880’s at the age of 18. Slowly but surely, he began to acquire the reputation of being an exceptionally talented tailor in Boston. He owned a tailoring establishment on Newbury Street in Boston for many years. His clients included the Cabots, the Lodges, as well as many other members of Boston’s famous, and not so famous families. Because there were always extra pieces of material left over, little Irma and little Lois were fortunate to have garments hand-sewn by their grandfather. This was the beginning of Irma’s love of fashion, and she continued to dress impeccably all her life. Even at 98 she still dressed for dinner every night, put on make-up, and had her hair and nails done every week.
Irma had a warm and loving childhood, growing up in different neighborhoods of Boston, surrounded by her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins, as was common in a typical Jewish family. The much-anticipated, weekly family Sunday lunches as well as all the Jewish holiday meals, were always held at her parent’s home. Irma learned the art of cooking from her extraordinary mother, Bella, who imparted a real flare and love for cooking and entertaining. Bella, who was born in Jamaica Plain, MA., was the quintessential “multi-tasker”. Bella was able to whip up food for an extra 20, unannounced guests at a meal which was originally intended to feed only 25. She was what is known as a “balaboost” a Yiddish word which means: a strong-minded woman who can do it all; a trait which Bella successfully passed down to her daughters, Irma, and Lois, who have in turn passed to their daughters, Robin, Jackie, and Susan. Susan has particularly excelled with an exceptional talent and love for cooking and entertaining with the same finesse and enthusiasm as our mother Irma had.
After Irma finished high school, she was accepted to the Massachusetts School of Art, in 1943, during which she was recruited by the Department of Defense to become a “draftsman” for the war effort as all the men were gone. Irma was also employed by the Atomic Energy Commission and lived at home with her parents before her next step in life.
On March 29, 1952, she met a dashing, young USAF B-24 pilot, a veteran of WWII, from Mineola, NY, our father, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert Dubowsky. They met on a blind date, set up by life-long friends. After nine dates, our father popped the question, and on the tenth date, mom accepted. They were married at our maternal grandparent’s home in Brookline, MA., on June 1, 1952, and were married for 59 years until Bob’s passing in February 2011.
As the wife of an active-duty US Air Force pilot, stationed around the world, Irma was expected to hold cocktail parties, social gatherings, and dinners in their home. Irma’s upbringing prepared her to be the perfect host.
Bob and Irma started their life together with a short stint in Texas, then four years in post-war, bombed out London, England, from 1953 – 1957. They traveled the Continent from one end to the other, in a brand-new Porsche convertible they purchased, that was equipped with luggage that matched the seats, which they drove off the lot in Stuttgart, Germany. They had the time of their lives. After their tour of England was over, they went back to Texas, then to Crete, Greece for two and a half years, finishing off active duty in Madison, Wisconsin. They made life-long friends, both with their military counterparts and with the local civilians they met in each location. The fun and games had to be recalibrated at the beginning of the 1960s with the arrival of their daughters, Jacqueline and Susan, who were born just fourteen months apart.
Bob retired from active-duty military service in 1964, and became employed with PanAm at The Eastern Test Range for the next twenty years. They bought a house in Satellite Beach, FL and it was there that they raised their two daughters. Irma's innate talent for all things artistic blossomed at this time, and she excelled as a wonderful oil and water-color artist, winning several awards for her paintings in local art competitions. She also tried her hand at flower arranging and won many Florida State championships during the 1970s and 1980s. Along with her passion for the arts, Irma was an adept bridge player, and played religiously for over 70 years. She played bridge at least twice per week. In fact, Mom played bridge the Sunday before she passed. She also loved to bowl and was a member of a bowling league in Satellite Beach for 40 years. She was a voracious reader and participated in many book clubs.
Irma was a member of many organizations and clubs. Temple Beth Shalom Sisterhood, Hadassah, Indian Harbor Beach Garden Club. She was passionate about her volunteer work as a docent at the Melbourne Museum of Art. Bob and Irma were also members of the PAFB Officer’s Club and the Eau Gallie Yacht Club.
Once Bob retired, they travelled extensively in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii and worldwide to faraway places like Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey. They returned to England many times to attend Bob’s 44th Bomb Group reunions in Norwich, East Anglia. And of course, they made their legendary bi-annual trips to Israel to visit Susan and Micky, and their grandchildren for more than 30 years.
Irma’s concluding chapter of life began in February 2018 when she moved from the family home of 55 years to her new home at Allegro in Winter Park, FL. Although she did not want to leave her home, it was the best move, as she was right down the street from her daughter Jacqueline and her husband, Farlen, and their family.
Irma flourished at Allegro. She met the most wonderful people there and many became close friends, especially while enduring a pandemic together, separated from their families. The activities kept her busy from morning until Jeopardy at 7pm, at which time she could not be interrupted! She played bridge twice per week, rummikub, attended the weekly art classes, book club, the daily exercise classes, drumming classes, chair yoga, trips to The Winter Park Playhouse, presentations from The Rollins Museum of Art, and many other things. And Irma was still creating art, even in February 2024, just a few weeks before she passed, by making absolutely beautiful, hand-painted, watercolor birthday and holiday cards for her family and friends. She was such an inspiration, and always looked at the bright side of life.
Irma was a loving daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. Our meals were always home cooked, our house was always clean. She waited for us at home after school, with something good to eat, so that Jackie and Susan could carry on with their numerous daily after-school activities. Our grandparents, and other family members and family friends played integral roles in our upbringing. Love was the predominant component of our home. We will forever remember our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother,Irma, with profound love, respect and gratitude. The family would like to thank Ms. Jennifer Gordon for her loving care of Ms. Irma these past several years. A private funeral was held on March 25, 2024 at the Mt. Hebron section of Florida Memorial Gardens in Rockledge, FL Rabbi Zvi Konikov officiated beautifully and with reverence.
May her memory be a blessing and may her family be comforted by the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. Baruch Dayan HaEmet.
Donations in Irma’s memory may be made to the following organizations, or any organization of your choice: Friends of the IDF www.fidf.org, The Jewish National Fund www.jnf.org, Chabad of the Space Coast www.jewishbrevard.com, Temple Beth Shalom of Melbourne www.mytbs.org, National Veterans Homeless Support www.nvhs.org, SPCA of Brevard www.spcabrevard.com
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