Ethel Ray Gold of Bloomfield died Tuesday (April 18, 2006) at the McLean Home in Simsbury after a long and courageous battle with recurrent metastatic breast cancer. Ethel was born in Bayonne, NJ to the late Rose and Louis Kraft. Ethel’s mother died when Ethel was just a teenager, after which Ethel spent some years in an orphanage. She spent much of her young adult life working in Manhattan for the United Jewish Appeal (UJA). Ethel married Leo J. Gold in 1956; they were married almost 40 years when Leo died. They spent the early years of their marriage in Brookline, MA, and moved to Bloomfield in 1959 where Ethel resided independently until a few weeks before she died. Ethel always kept her age a very private matter. However, rumor has it that Woodrow Wilson was president at the time of her birth and that she celebrated four score years in Y2K. Ethel is survived by her two sons and their families: Robert (Bob) and Susan Gold of West Hartford with their children Stephanie and Rebecca, and Charles (Chuck) and Robin Gold of West Simsbury with their children Leo Jacob and Harry Solomon. She is also survived by a sister-in-law Sylvia Rabin (twin to Ethel’s late husband Leo); a brother-in-law Leon Rabin and his wife Jean; a nephew Mark Rabin; a niece Jeanne Rabin-Kanaan with husband Camille Kanaan and their children grand-nephew David Kanaan and grand-niece Grace Kanaan. In addition, Ethel leaves behind many dear friends who have blessed her life. Ethel is predeceased by her beloved husband Leo (Korean War veteran) and her brothers Milton and Max Kraft (World War II veterans). Ethel was a member of the Jewish War Veterans’ Auxiliary, member of the Sisterhood of Beth Hillel Synagogue, past-president of the Mr. and Mrs. Club of Beth Hillel Synagogue and member of the “55 & Over” Club at the JCC. She was very proud of and dliigent with her volunteer job which has allowed us all to enjoy more timely mail service. Ethel was a devoted UCONN basketball fan (with a preference for the women’s team), and a long-time Red Sox fan. She was a sweet, warm, generous individual whose big wide grin would light up a room. Ethel loved to cook and to tend to her springtime flowers; but her greatest passion was talking to and about her 4 grandchildren who became her “raison d’etre” in recent years. Ethel touched the lives of many and she will be dearly missed by all. Family members would like to express their appreciation to the wonderful staff at McLean for the loving care they gave Ethel during her final weeks, and to Dr. Robert Dicks for his compassion and support during this difficult stage in Ethel’s life. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 21, 2006 at 10:30 AM in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Ave., Hartford with Rabbi Edward Friedman officiating. Interment will follow in the Beth Hillel Synagogue Cemetery, East Granby. Shiva will be observed on Friday following the funeral through Thursday, April 27th at the homes of her sons: Charles, 29 Beaverbrook Rd., West Simsbury, and Robert, 9 Timrod La., West Hartford. Memorial contributions may be made to Beth Hillel Synagogue, 160 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield 06002. For further information, directions, or to share memories of Ethel with her family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.
