Florene E. Bernstein

Florene Edith Cohen Bernstein was born on March 2, 1934 in Omaha, Nebraska. The oldest surviving child of immigrant parents who fled the early 20th century anti-Semitism of Eastern Europe to greater opportunity in America, she began working in her father’s modest grocery store— which her family lived above during her childhood— at the age of eight. She grew into a woman with a fierce love of her family, Judaism and the belief that she could give her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the life she never had as a child.

Florene’s life work was creating a family that was close, well-fed, well-educated, well-loved and Jewish. Every Jewish holiday was a gathering and once the grandchildren moved away, every holiday also involved sending carefully curated care packages of Jewish treats to anyone who wasn’t local, even if they were flying in to celebrate. While her first priority was family, you didn’t actually need to be related to Florene for her to fully embrace you and pull you into the fold. She was a force unlike any other and although a tiny woman, she made a big impression on everyone she met.

Florene was a shy and studious child, and she was the first in her family to attend college. However, in the midst of her studies at Omaha University (now University of Nebraska — Omaha), obtaining a degree took a back seat to love and marriage. She married Sandy Bernstein, another OU student, on October 4, 1953 and dropped out of school after her sophomore year to support him.

Their family quickly grew. By the time Sandy graduated from OU in June 1955, Florene was pregnant with her first child. When Sandy’s job required him to move to Los Angeles in 1960, she already had two sons and a newborn daughter. Another daughter would be born in Los Angeles in 1964. Florene always said that the move to California allowed her to reinvent herself. It was there that she allowed her true personality— funny, gentle, outspoken and fearless — to emerge.

When her children were growing up, Florene was extremely busy as a stay-at-home mom. There were four children to raise, mostly on her own and on a limited budget, as Sandy had to travel almost constantly during the week for work. Florene took charge at overseeing her children’s education — both secular and Jewish. Each of the children was Bar or Bat Mitzvah and each received a postgraduate degree. She made sure that the family sat down together for a homemade dinner each night. TV watching was not permitted. Dinner was a time to eat together and talk. In those years, Florene sewed many of her own clothes, as well as her daughters’, and kept a beautiful, immaculate house that she decorated herself.

Florene was also involved in a myriad of volunteer activities in synagogues and her children’s schools. Her school volunteering was so extensive that she was interviewed for an appointed school board position in Atlanta and provided the perspective of a parent on a panel on the MacNeil-Lehrer Report discussing school discipline.

Florene rejoined the labor force in the early 1980s, after her three oldest children had moved from home. Sandy had started his own business, Nova Label Co., and Florene helped with office and administrative work for several years.

Nova’s success enabled her and Sandy to purchase the large house of her dreams in Colesville, Md., where she lived until her death. There they hosted their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and whatever nephews, nieces, and cousins happened to be in town at countless family events. Well into her 80s, Florene would help prepare the food and supervise the clean up. She was particularly proud of hosting one of the final large family events in her house, the August 2022 Bar Mitzvah of her great-grandson Deionte Shelto, presided by her son-in-law Jeffrey Burka.

Florene’s husband Sandy predeceased her by 3 days. She is survived by her four children and their spouses: Marc Bernstein (Jeffrey Burka) of Washington, DC; Jeffrey Bernstein (Susan) of Swanton, MD.; Shari Bernstein (Steve Timm) of Madison, WI; and Bonnie Rich (Alan) of Colesville, MD. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Jason Bernstein and Eric Bernstein of Alphraetta, GA.; Emily Devlin and Kerry Devlin (Josh Stuewer) of Madison; Jacob Devlin (Shelley Katz-Devlin) of Ft. Myers, FL; Rebecca Rich (DaVaughn Montgomery) of Washington, DC; and Leah Rich (Erik Constantoulakis) of San Diego. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren, Shaundre Shelto and Deionte Shelto of Madison.