With sadness, I report the deaths of two of our beloved cousins: Stuart Shakman and Merle Breit Perlman.
Stuart Shakman
posted by his daughter Felicia on the family Facebook page, September 18, 2019
My father Stuart passed into Spirit yesterday. He was a true original, and that is an understatement. I am so grateful that Tom and I were able to bring him to Baltimore to care for him during his final weeks on earth, and thankful for all of the love and wonderful gifts born from this difficult time of the last two and a half months. There were many blessings and a lot of healing and forgiveness that occurred. I am still in awe of his bravery and caring for his loved ones in his final hours...he called family and friends to tell them goodbye, told them he loved them, sang them songs ("Keep Your Sunny Side Up" and "When You're Smiling"), and consoled them, saying "I'll see you on the other side." As a father he taught me many lessons, some deeply challenging and downright soul-testing, but the best among them being to never ever judge others, to think and live outside the box, to always look on the bright side, to be kind to strangers (especially those less fortunate than you), to cherish music, and to always always be ready to break into a song to make people happy. Thank you for the music Dad, thank you for bringing your uniqueness and Light to the world, and thank you for your Love. I look forward to your messages from Heaven. I love you.
Stuart with his daughters Felicia and Alexis
Stuart Shakman, 1943 - 2019, son of Binnie and Max Shakman, grandson of Frimit and Herman Neu.
Merle Breit Perlman
Merle’s daughters, Lisa Morello and Staci Wand posted this on the family facebook page on April 20, 2020:
Words cannot explain the grief that we are feeling right now. We lost our mom tonight. We never thought we would say those words because she was an incredible fighter. She beat all the odds and lived life her way. Her body was done fighting. It was a fight that started in 1994 and she out lived Augie, Bette, doctors, and many other loved ones.
We were grateful that she was able to be at home with us for the last few weeks. We were given a gift of time. ❤️
When she passed, she had lots of love around her and she squeezed our hands to let us know it’s okay.
It was amazing how she had an effect on people. As soon as they met her, she made them feel special. Even the caregivers- who she just met- would call or stop by after their shift just to check in on her. She was special! Nobody like her! A sense of humor that either made you feel uncomfortable or laugh out loud (most people laughed : )
We will continue to share pictures of the wonderful life she led. She was our mom, but she was also the best Nonnie, friend, aunt, cousin and more. If you have pictures or stories to tell us, please share them.
We are only allowed to do a small service at Shalom for immediate family because of the virus so we will plan a celebration of life later on.
Thank you for all your love and support She wouldn’t be the person she was without all of you. ❤️
Love Staci and Lisa
Merle Breit Perlman, 1946 - 2020, daughter of Maurice and Charlotte Breit, granddaughter of Alter and Fannie Breitowich
A birth
Sharon (Breit) Giraud writes that her nephew Nathan Breit and his wife, YuShan, have just had a baby girl. Nathan, who lives in Southern California, is the son of Sharon’s brother Saul, who passed in 2008. (Sharon and Saul are children of Paul and Adele Breit, grandchildren of Fannie and Alter Breitowich.)