Harleen S Epstein

Harleen (Solomon) Epstein, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully on October 25, 2025, surrounded by love.

Born in 1938 to Morris and Esther Solomon in New Britain, Connecticut, Harleen lived a life defined by creativity, compassion, and unwavering optimism. A graduate of New Britain Senior High School, she also attended Teachers College of Connecticut and hosted a college radio show.

While a young mother and homemaker, Harleen worked at Congregation Tephereth Isreal including coordination of communications and events, a reflection of her warmth and natural ability to connect with others. For more than 30 years that followed, Harleen worked as a respected paralegal in Connecticut and later in Sarasota, Florida. She was admired for her precision and professionalism— skills she honed in an era when legal documents were typed flawlessly by hand.

After retiring, Harleen embraced her many passions — rekindling her passion for art and enjoying time with friends in mahjong and book clubs. She was also deeply committed to giving back, volunteering with ORT, Hadassah, and other community organizations. Together with her late husband, Jack, she also co-founded the Julie Merle Epstein Cancer Fund in loving memory of their daughter, turning deep personal loss into support for others.

At the heart of Harleen’s life was her extraordinary partnership with Jack. Married for more than sixty years, they built a home filled with laughter, curiosity, and unconditional love. They shared a passion for building and renovating homes in Connecticut and Florida, always creating spaces that reflected beauty, warmth, and togetherness. Their devotion to one another continues to shine through the generations they nurtured.

Harleen faced life’s challenges, including personal health struggles with recurrent cancer for 25 years. She approached these challenges with remarkable grace and strength—qualities that inspired all who knew her. Harleen will be remembered for her kindness, courage, creativity, and the joy she brought to everyone around her. She found joy in life’s details: butterflies, symbols of transformation; her collection of small, meaningful boxes; and the simple act of being present with family and friends.

She will be remembered for her kindness, creativity, and unshakable belief in seeing the good in people — a legacy of love that endures in all who were blessed to know her.

She is survived by her sons, Michael (Dr. Alyssa Horowitz) of Bedminster, NJ, and Keith (Kathryn) of West Simsbury, CT; her grandchildren, Sophia of Austin, TX; Jake of San Francisco, CA; Jonathan of Fernandina Beach, FL; and Anna (Nathan Mitchell) of West Simsbury, CT; and great-grandsons Owen and Henry Mitchell. Harleen also is survived by many beloved friends, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Jack Epstein, and beloved daughter, Julie Merle Epstein, and her brothers Jack, Louis, Norman and Sherman.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Julie Merle Epstein Cancer Fund at University of Connecticut Health Center or the charity of your choice.