obituaries
LASTICK ABRAMSON
GLORIA
nee Sitnick) passed peacefully on
December 15, 2022, surrounded by the love
of family at the age of 91. Beloved wife of the
late Louis Abramson. Daughter of the late
Abraham and Celia Sitnick. Loving mother
of Debbie Ryan
Ken Scott) , Sandi Foster
Joe) , and the late Brenda Fineberg
Louis) .

Adoring grandmother of Carly
Ray) , Alisa
Chris) , Paul
Giannis) David, Faith
Adam) Eric, Rachael, Matt, Brooke
Tim) , and ten
great-grandchildren. Dear sister of the late
Roz Blumberg
Sam) and Ethel Kaminsky
Morris) . Also survived by her brother-in-law
Allan Abramson
Sheila) and her many niec-
es and nephews whom she loved with all her
heart. Contributions in her memory may be
made to The National Museum of American
Jewish Military History www.nmaj mh.org
GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S
RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com
ELI R. - December 17, 2022. Age 99 years
old of Lafayette Hill, PA. A proud World War
II Veteran. Devoted husband of the late
Sonia Lastick. Loving father of Adrian Seltzer
Steven) , Sheryl D’Amore
David) , Jerry
Lastick
Cheryl) , Marsha Petnick
Martin) ,
and the late Geoffrey Lastick. Dear brother of
the late Stanley Lastick. Beloved grandfather
of Marc Seltzer, Samantha Seltzer, Lauren
D’Amore, Matthew D’Amore, Jaimie Lastick,
and David Petnick. Contributions in his mem-
ory may be made to Coatesville VA Medical
Center, http://bit.ly/EliLastick.

GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S
RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com
LEIBOWITZ ARNOLD - December 17, 2022. Husband of the
late Marcy. Father of Beth
Kevin) Kellenberger
and the late Gregg
late Marilyn) Leibowitz. Dear
companion to Susan Steinberg. Step-father of
S. Matthew
Rachel) Steinberg and Scott
Amy) Steinberg. Grandfather of Madison Kreber
Cory DiBacco) , Ryan Kreber, Sarah Steinberg, Jacob
Steinberg, Harrison Steinberg and Liv Steinberg.

Contributions in his memory may be made to
the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street,
Downtown Miami, FL 33131 or the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation, 555 Croton Road,
Suite 111, King of Prussia, PA 19406, ww.j drf.org.

GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S
RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com
MENDELSOHN BERNICE
nee Chasin) passed away peace-
fully on December 19, 2022, at the age of 88.

Bernice was married to her beloved husband
Jack for 67 years. They enj oyed traveling and
went on many wonderful vacations together.

She had two children, her son Gary
Stefani) and her daughter Debby
Rich) . Bernice
grew up in Kingston Pa. and attended Drexel
University where she met her husband, Jack.

She graduated from Drexel in 1954 and con-
tin ed her ed cation later in life in the field of
nutrition. Bernice was a devoted homemak-
er. She enj oyed playing duplicate Bridge and
assisting her husband’s career in insurance
sales. Bernice also enj oyed her time as a
student of the Barnes Foundation, but al-
ways found the time for her secret pleasures
of watching General Hospital, going shop-
ping with her daughter, and taking care of
her grand puppies. She always put her family
above everything else and was always avail-
able for them in whatever they needed. She
excelled as a wife and mother and her good
advice was second to none.

GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S
RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com
SLOANE SHARON - December 16, 2022 of Penn
Valley, PA. Loving mother of Matthew Sloane
Amanda) , Jordan Sloane
Bethany) , and Dr.

Justin Sloane
Shelby)
adoring grandmother
of Brendan, Emerie, Benj amin, the late
Zachary, and two more on the way; beloved
sister of Dr. Howard Melnick
Jackie) and
Dr. Pa l Melnick aren . In lie of owers,
contributions in her memory may be made to
Main Line Reform Temple
mlrt.org/contrib- ute) .

JOSEPH LEVINE & SONS
www.levinefuneral.com STEINBERG
S. TY - Age 94, of Elkins Park, son of Gimbel
and Gertrude Steinberg, and brother of
Lenore
Alfred) Bernstein who both prede-
ceased him. Survived by his adored wife of
69 years, Marj orie, sons Michael
Tammy) and Gary
Amy) . Also survived by grandchil-
dren, Jason, Aaron, Jacob, Laura, Dylan,
and Ethan as well as great-grandchildren
Brody, Charlotte, Caleb, Maya, and Jordana.

Raised in Oak Lane, graduating from Central,
Class 185 and proudly served in the Navy as
a Pharmacist Mate. Graduated from Temple
University and after
obs with Food Fair, his
own appliance sales company, and National
Cash Register and at the urging of his father-
in-law Mottie,
oined Buten Paints, heading
sales and later becoming President of the
30-store chain operation.

Besides his devoted family life, the most im-
portant part of his life was his philanthropic
involvement. First, co-founding the B’nai
Brith Adelphi Lodge, and from there be-
came involved in The Federation of Jewish
Agencies, Israel Bonds, United Way, Jewish
Community Centers, Congregation Adath
Jeshurun, Golden Slipper Club & Camp
Charities, Philadelphia Geriatric Center
Abramson Senior Care) , and Moss Rehab.

He served each of these organizations as a
Vice President, President, or Chairman re-
ceiving so many accolades for his tireless
involvement over the years. So many of
his deepest friendships had been nurtured
through his charitable efforts, but he felt that
he received much more than was given in
so many ways. Ty led Wednesday morning
Minyan services at Adath Jeshurun for 52
years - a record that will unlikely ever be
s rpassed. He en oyed fishing on his oat,
The Red Snapper, named after Marge. Ty
worked out three days a week into his 90’s
and could be seen on his bike on the board-
walk at the shore every weekend, until a fall
the end of 2021, which ultimately led to his
passing. He was widely loved and admired
by so many long-term friends, neighbors,
business associates, those involved with
communal activities, and especially by family.

Contributions may be made to Congregation
Adath Jeshurun’s
Minyan Fund” or to that of
the donor’s choice. We pray that Ty’s soul be
bound up in the bond of eternal life. May his
memory inspire blessing after blessing.

JOSEPH LEVINE & SONS
www.levinefuneral.com www.jewishexponent.com
22 DECEMBER 29, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



Navy Analyst, Restaurant
Owner Sybil Klein Dies at 86
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Courtesy of Michael Klein
N avy analyst and restaurant owner
Sybil Klein died of respiratory failure
at Jefferson Abington Hospital on Dec. 13.

She was 86.

Klein and husband Robert Klein owned
and operated a coffee shop at Presidential
City Apartments on City Avenue, where
the couple lived shortly after their 1956
marriage, and later, The Pantry near
Rittenhouse Square. Though usually the
family cook and purveyor of Jewish apple
cake, brisket and matzah balls at gather-
ings for the holidays, Klein worked in the
front of the house at her luncheonettes,
warmly greeting customers.

After her husband’s death in 1969, Klein
became a Navy analyst at what is now
the Naval Supply Systems Command,
Weapons System Support in Northeast
Philadelphia, where she worked until she
retired at age 75. She was a volunteer
greeter at Jeanes Hospital, now part of
Temple University Hospital in Northeast
Philadelphia. Despite her occupational pivot, Klein
continued her practice of cooking and car-
ing for others, becoming the office mother
and grandmother at her Navy analyst
job. She remembered every co-worker’s
birthday and gave them baked goods and
would sprinkle Yiddish phrases into her
conversations with colleagues, despite
being one of the few Jews in the office.

She was particularly fond of those born in
1959, the year she became a mother.

Upon her retirement, her colleagues
gifted her a book of “Sybilisms,” filled
with phonetically spelled-out Yiddish
words (“kenahora” was a favorite) and
phrases she frequently used.

“She educated the people in her office
as to what a Jewish person is like,” said
son Michael Klein. “She was a good soul.”
Klein passed down her love of food and
hospitality: Michael Klein is a longtime
food writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer,
and granddaughter Rachel Klein is the
chef behind Miss Rachel’s Pantry, a South
Philadelphia vegan restaurant named
after Klein’s Center City luncheonette.

“I learned from her that you can feed
people to show them how much you care
about them,” Rachel Klein said.

Born in the Wynnefield neighbor-
hood of West Philadelphia in 1936, Klein
was a lifelong Philadelphian. Her father,
Solomon Matthews, was a bus driver,
and her mother, Florence Matthews, was
a homemaker. Though the family wasn’t
very religious, they tried to keep kosher
and gathered for holiday meals.

“Food is a really great common denom-
inator.…It’s a magnet; it brought every-
body together,” said Michael Klein.

Klein graduated Overbrook High
School in 1954, where she had met her
husband two years prior, both of them in
the school’s production of Rodgers and
Hammerstein’s “Carousel.”
Klein was fond of her high school years
and organized her class’ reunions. She
enjoyed the social aspect and close-knit
community she kept in her childhood:
Klein lived five blocks away from her
elementary school, and after meeting her
husband, who lived six blocks from her,
the couple moved across the street from
Klein’s parents and later to a house two
blocks away.

When Robert Klein died, Klein was
32 years old and raising three children:
Michael, Alan and Diana, who died ear-
lier. Despite becoming a widow, Klein was
an “eternal optimist,” according to Alan
Klein. “I went away to college, I thought we
were wealthy. She just always figured out
a way to hide everything from us, and
just put a big smile on her face and make
it work,” he said. “I later found out that
she didn’t know where our next meal was
coming from. But I never knew that. We
never went hungry.”
After her husband’s death, Klein made
a point to speak about Robert Klein to
her children, saying, “That was a Robert
Klein joke,” after saying something funny,
Michael Klein remembered.

Klein extended her love to her eight
grandchildren. When Rachel Klein went
vegetarian and later vegan at a young age,
Klein would make a vegetarian version of
her usual chicken-based matzah ball soup.

“There wasn’t anything for me to eat
at her shiva, which was telling of her not
being there,” Rachel Klein said. “Because
she always wanted to make sure that
everyone was accommodated, and that
everybody felt welcome.”
When the Phillies were playing in the
National League Championship Series
and World Series, Klein would watch the
games to be able to recount them with her
grandson, an avid fan.

“She did it just to keep up with him,”
Michael Klein said.

Klein was a fan of Hallmark movies and
took Yiddish classes in her 60s at what is
now KleinLife. She talked to her children
and grandchildren multiple times a week,
and made it a point to meet with former
coworkers for lunch, even shortly before
her death.

“She was an open book,” Michael Klein
said. “She had no secrets. She had no filter…
She could have a conversation with a rock.”
Klein is survived by her two sons, eight
grandchildren and three great-grand-
children. JE
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com A RESOLUTION OF
ABRAMSON SENIOR CARE
The Board of Trustees of Abramson Senior Care record with sorrow the
passing of their esteemed colleague and friend
S. Ty Steinberg z’’l
whose commitment to Jewish causes and philanthropy benefited the seniors
served by Abramson Senior Care, and who served as an example to the
entire community.

Ty joined the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) in
1978 and was a steadfast supporter of Abramson Senior Care’s mission of
providing high-quality care to seniors throughout the Philadelphia region.

He had a passion for philanthropy, which he shared with his family and his
community. Together with his loving wife, Marjorie, Ty gave generously to
numerous campaigns, including the Building for Life campaign, the Annual
Fund and the Rainbow Ball, as well as being a recipient of the prestigious
Family Award at the Rainbow Ball in 2017.

In addition to his philanthropy, Ty gave of his time and expertise, serving on
various committees and as Chair of the Personnel Committee at PGC. His
impact in the community extended beyond Abramson Senior Care, as he held
various leadership positions, including at Adath Jeshurun, Moss Rehab, and
Golden Slipper Camp/Golden Slipper Clubs and Charities.

Abramson Senior Care and our entire Jewish community were truly fortunate
to have been the beneficiary of Ty’s leadership and tzedakah, as well as his
warmth and charming spirit.

To Majorie; sons, Michael (Tammy) and Gary (Amy); his grandchildren,
Aaron (Bari), Jason (Erica), Laura, Jacob (Jaqui), Dylan, and Ethan; his great-
grandchildren, Brody, Caleb, Charlotte, Maya, and Jordana and all who
mourn his passing, the Board of Trustees of Abramson Senior Care offer this
expression of profound sympathy. May they find solace in the knowledge that
his dedication, generosity and good works will serve as a living tribute to him
and will benefit future generations.

Lorraine Drobny
Board Chair
Sean Gregson
President and CEO
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 23