Phyllis Edelson

Phyllis L. Edelson, 88, of Farmington, formerly of Plainville, beloved and devoted wife of 63 years of the late Dr. Irving M. Edelson, passed away on Saturday (December 8, 2012). Phyllis was born in New York City on October 29, 1924. She was the cherished daughter of the late Emma “Esther” (Baron) and Solomon Landwald, who had immigrated to the United States from Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria respectively. At the age of 5, Phyllis and her parents and brothers set out for the fledgling state of Arizona, where they were among the early founders of modern-day Tucson. Phyllis graduated from Tucson High School and was a very proud alumna of the University of Arizona, where she received a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology. Phyllis met Irving, the love of her life, on a blind date while Irv was stationed in Tucson as a navigator in the Mighty 8th Army Air Corps. They were married on June 22, 1947. Phyllis worked as a bacteriologist at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore while Irv attended dental school there. They moved to Plainville, Connecticut, where Irving set up his dental practice and they raised their three children. Phyllis was a lifetime member of Congregation Tephereth Israel in New Britain and was active in many local organizations. She was creative, witty, gracious, and always generous with her time for family and friends. She had an operatic singing voice and could often be heard singing around the house by people passing by. She hosted many wonderful holiday dinners and even with 30 or more people around the table, she always made room and prepared food for more. Phyllis and Irv enjoyed traveling with friends on trips to Israel, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, Alaska, and the Caribbean. Phyllis had a great intellectual curiosity and a passion for reading both fiction and nonfiction. She read “The New York Times” everyday. She was an astute bridge player, enjoyed “Googling” her ancestors on the computer, and, most recently, she had taken up ceramics, memoir writing, and crocheting. Phyllis donated her crocheted bookmarks to the Plainville Library and the Plainville Senior Center to be sold as fundraisers for those organizations. Phyllis and Irv had a large circle of friends from Plainville and from many years spent in Delray Beach, Florida, and Clinton, Connecticut. Since Irv’s death in 2010, Phyllis kept busy by visiting with her children, grandchildren, and friends and going to the Plainville Senior Center, where she enjoyed meeting new people, exercising, attending lectures, and taking classes. She was always an upbeat presence at the senior center, where she enjoyed making people smile and laugh. Her motto was “Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.” If she saw someone eating by him- or herself, she would invite the person to sit and have lunch with her. She believed no one should eat alone and she was an empathetic and attentive ear for people with problems. Phyllis enjoyed accompanying her caregiver to the Plainville Seventh Day Adventist Church, where she was known affectionately as “Sister Phyllis“ for her good deeds there. Her most treasured times were those spent with her children and grandchildren, of whom she was very proud. Phyllis is survived by her children, Attorney Shereen Edelson and her husband Attorney Arnold Menchel of Plainville; Larry Edelson and his wife Nong of Bangkok, Thailand; and Dr. David Edelson and his wife Susan of Farmington. She is also survived by her eight grandsons and one granddaughter: Robert Menchel of New Haven and Eric Menchel of Plainville; Dr. Kari Edelson of Manchester, Aaron Edelson and his wife Nicki of Palm Coast, Florida, and Kevin Edelson of Los Angeles; Joshua, Ben, and Jared Edelson of Farmington; and Alex Edelson of Bangkok. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Vera Landwald; nieces Suzanne Werblow and her husband Jack; Bernice Grenert and her husband Jim; and Patsy Everman and her family; nephews Jerry Kessler and his wife Susan Anderson; and Michael Alexander Landwald and his wife Bonnie. She leaves many dear family members, including Andrew and David Werblow, Sharon Edelson, Fran Tarr, Lucille and Saul Roth, and Jamlong Prompila. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her beloved brothers, Lanny Alexander and Arthur “Archie” Landwald; her sister- and brother-in-law Adeline and Leo Kessler; and family members Dorothy and Philip Menchel, Sawad Prompila, and Morton Tarr. She will be missed by her many close friends in Connecticut and Florida. The family wishes to thank doctors Larry Broisman, Joseph Rosenblatt, and Robert Malkin for their wonderful care; the paramedics and staff of the Emergency Department at John Dempsey Hospital for their dedicated and expert care and compassion; Phyllis’s longtime caregivers from Companions and Homemakers: Joyce Riley, Olga Thompson, and Veronica Francis, who took such loving care of Phyllis as if she were one of their own; Darcy Glover, for her transportation and fun companionship; Phyllis’s neighbors at Edgewood Estates for their kindnesses and friendship; and the staff and members of the Plainville Senior Center, who made Phyllis’s last years interesting, fun, and productive. “May her memory be for a blessing.” Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, with interment in Beth Alom Cemetery, Allen Street, New Britain. Shiva will be observed at her home, 4 Bailey Court, Farmington following interment on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday morning, and Saturday evening through Sunday. There will be no shiva on Friday afternoon or evening and during the day on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Phyllis’s memory may be made to the Connecticut Chapter of the March of Dimes, 500 Winding Brook Drive, Glastonbury, CT 06033; the American Cancer Society, 825 Brook Street, I-91 Tech Center, Rocky Hill, CT 06067; or a charity of the donor’s choice. For further information or to sign the guest book for Mrs. Edelson, please visit online at ww.weinsteinmortuary.com.