Maureen was born on October 5, 1944, in Brentford, Middlesex County, England to parents, Harry and Rose (Rabin) Lederman. She grew up in Twickenham and attended school in nearby Teddington. In 1962 Maureen and her parents immigrated to the United States following the path of her siblings who had made the transition earlier. They settled in Levittown, PA with her brother Cyril and his wife Rita.
Maureen trained as a secretary in England and upon her arrival in the U.S. she accepted a position with Joseph H. Cohen and Sons, a clothing manufacturer in north Philadelphia. From this position Maureen went on to hold several positions as an executive secretary. In 1984 she accepted a position as the administrative assistant to the New Jersey Banking Commissioner. Following this position, she concluded her career as a legal assistant for Karen Quinn, Esquire.
Maureen met her future husband Bruce while buying a car at Reischer Ford in Northeast Philadelphia. Bruce and his father Ken both worked for the dealership and after Ken sold Maureen a car, he introduced her to Bruce who was working in the service department. The two began dating and in 1969, they married at the home of Maureen’s sister Sylvia in Levittown. In 1970, the two bought a home in Levittown and made a wonderful life together full of family gatherings, puzzles, car shows, searching for English royal memorabilia and collectibles for Maureen’s beloved royal family, watching hockey (Bruins for Maureen and Flyers for Bruce) and basketball (always the Celtics and especially Robert Parish), and Manchester United, and enjoying the opera performances of José Carreras.
In 1987, Maureen became a U.S. citizen, but as a devoted subject of Queen Elizabeth she also retained her British citizenship. Although she never returned to England, she made many trips to Ottawa, Canada which reminded her of England. While there, she and Bruce stayed at the Chateau Laurier where they met Thom Ouellette, Greg See and Catherine Graham who became lifelong friends.
Maureen and Bruce wrote the book on how to be a great aunt and uncle. The two kept in close touch with nieces and nephews who were spread out across the country. They gave solicited and unsolicited advice, told ribald jokes, and sent perfect and often silly presents, and followed the ups and downs of their nieces and nephews' lives with interest and love. At the same time, throughout her life Maureen modeled how to be a strong opinionated woman who stood up for things she believed in unreservedly and never put up with other people’s foolishness. She was a tough cookie who always gave as good as she got.
Maureen remained faithful to her Jewish roots and traditions. She was interested in her family’s history and in particular her father’s family's difficult journey from Russia and Ukraine to England in the early 1900s.
Maureen’s parents, Harry Lederman and Rose Rabin Lederman Bloomberg, and her siblings, Beattie Lederman, Cyril Lederman, Sylvia Lederman Orlove, and Ruth Lederman Brown passed before her. Maureen is survived by her husband Bruce of Levittown, PA; their niece, Bernice Tucker of Mission Viejo, CA; Mark Brown and his wife Marina and their children Taylor and Nicole of Palmdale, CA; Jill Severn and her husband Charles Barber of Lexington, GA; their nephew Jonathan Severn and his wife Mary and their children, Ben and Emma, and their dog Gordy of Doylestown, PA. She is also survived by over one hundred penguins of various species, sizes, and temperaments.
There will be a private memorial service for family at a future date. Maureen will be interred in The Hatboro Cemetery in Hatboro, PA.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Chandler Hall, 99 Barclay Street, Newtown, PA 18940.
Condolences can be sent to www.wrgrantfuneralhome.com.
The family would like to thank the medical staff of Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the hospice team at Chandler Hall for their care and dedication in treating Maureen. The family is also grateful to all the friends who have held Maureen in love and light during this difficult time.
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