Obituaries

IRVING BELSKY, 78, of Clearwater, died June 27. He was born in Detroit and had served in the Navy. He was a member of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor. Survivors include his wife, Sondra; children, Marc and Sandy Belsky, Andrew and Janet Belsky, Robin and Leonard Jacobson, Mark and Leslie Goodman, Stuart and Elaine Goodman and Mindee and Michael Zack; 15 grandchildren and one great-grandson. (Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home)

JOSEPH BERMAN, 93, of South Pasadena, died June 18. He was born in Argentina and was a Navy veteran of World War II. He was the owner of a food distribution company. (David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Beth David Chapel)

DIANE C. CANTOR, 58, of Dunedin and Lake Oconee, GA, died June 19. Survivors include her husband, Neil, and her son, Neil Cantor II. The family suggests memorials may be made to the American Heart Association. (Segal Funeral Home, Beth David Chapel)

CHARLES W. EHRLICH, 65, of St. Petersburg, died June 20. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, as his mother was fleeing Nazi occupied Europe, he immigrated with his family from Munich, Germany, to Mays Landing, NJ, where he graduated from Oakcrest High School. He attended Dickinson College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts, and was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, played on the football and baseball teams, and later became a member of the College Sports Hall of Fame. He was one of the first Head Start teachers in New Jersey before moving to Florida to attend law school. He graduated from Stetson Law School in 1971 and served as an assistant State Attorney until 1973. He opened his sole practitioner office in 1974 and was recognized nationally in Martindale Hubbell’s register and locally received the Pro Bono Award from the St. Petersburg Bar Association. He was president of the Jewish Community Center of Pinellas County, vice-president of the Jewish Federation of Pinellas County, a co-founder and president of the Academy Prep Foundation, president of the Arts Center of St. Petersburg, president of the Canterbury School of Florida; member of the Board of Advisors of Dickinson College, legal counsel to Mental Health of South Pinellas County, vice-president and legal counsel of the Pinellas Opportunity Council, vicepresident of the Quarterback Club of St. Petersburg, hearing officer of the St. Petersburg Human Relations Board and legal counsel for the Suncoast Center for Community Mental Health. Survivors include daughter, Jessica Ehrlich; his mother, Jeanette Winogron; brother, Joseph Ehrlich; his companion of 15 years, Sandi Pearl Ehrlich. The family suggests memorials to the Charles W. Ehrlich Memorial Scholarship at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

RONALD KEITH GILBERT, 62, of St. Petersburg, died July 6. A native of St. Petersburg, he was a graduate of Boca Ciega High School. He worked in his family’s jewelry store, Gilbert Jewelers, for over 40 years. Survivors include his two daughters, Candace and Kimberly; parents, Thelma and Jerome Gilbert; two brothers, Mark Gilbert and Scotty Gilbert. The family suggests memorials to PARC. (David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Beth David Chapel)

JANE P. JACOBS, 89, of Largo, died July 10. She was born in Hull, MA, and grew up in Brookline, MA. She moved to Florida in 1997. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Roberta and Dan Mockensturm; son, George Jacobs; sister, Virginia Footer; five grandchildren and one great-grandson. (David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Beth David Chapel)

CLARA I. KIRSNER, 91, of Gulfport, died June 26. A native of Worcester, MA, she was a homemaker. Survivors include her daughters and sons-in-law, Carole and Frank Kalman and Linda and James Sigel; son and daughter-in-law, Barry and Dorothy Kirsner; sister, Ruth Freedman; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

KENNETH LEVIN, 86, of The Villages, formerly of Terre Haute, IN, died June 26. A native of Terre Haute, he graduated from Harvard and then attended Northwestern Law School, graduating with his Juris Doctorate in 1951. He then received his Masters of Tax Law degree from New York University. He first worked for the Justice Department tax division for seven years, and then went into private practice in New Mexico and later in Terre Haute. He practiced law for over 50 years. He was also an Army veteran of World War II. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; his children, Michael and Tami Wolf, Palm Harbor, Kimberly and Art Collins, Lutz, and David and Julie Wolf, Snoqualmie, WA; six grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren. (David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Beth David Chapel)

WILLIAM “BILL” LIVESAY, 73, of Clearwater, died July 11. He was born in New Castle, PA, and moved here with his family 58 years ago. He was a graduate of Clearwater High School and went on to have a long career in banking. Survivors include his wife of 25 years, Carol; stepchildren, Laura Babcock, Oldsmar, and Richard and Veronica Schoenbrun, Tampa; three granddaughters. The family suggests memorials may be made to the Advanced Health Care Centers Employee Appreciation Fund in Clearwater or the Suncoast Hospice.

SHIRLEY MILLER, 70, of Seminole, died June 16. Born in Albany, NY, she worked as an Art Consultant. (David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Beth David Chapel)

FRONA “VICKI” ROSE, 75, of Oldsmar, died June 18. She was born in Baltimore, MD. Survivors include her children, Terry Schlosberg, Wayne and Katherine Rose, Gary and Karen Rose and Carole and Richard Liebman; and two grandchildren. The family suggests memorials may be made to the Suncoast Hospice or the Jewish National Fund. (Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home)

SHULAMITH SALEM, 85, of Pinellas Park, died June 11. Born in Israel, she was a writer and an artist. In 1989 she took a work-oriented trip to Russia, where she had several meetings with Kremlin members and made appeals on behalf of imprisoned physicist Dr. Boris Genis. In 1990 she was awarded a commendation by the Ohio legislature for contributions to revisions of the Ohio divorce code. She later helped introduce a bill emphasizing changes in the tax laws for artists, writers and filmmakers. Survivors include three sons, Michael Salem, Rutland, VT, Ronald Salem and partner Jason Nguyen, Santa Ana, CA, Jonathan and his wife, Angela Salem, Tampa; brothers, Shmuel Rechavia, Tel-Aviv, Israel, and Reuven Rechavia, Hertzelia, Israel; and two granddaughters.

DEBORAH VERNICK, 76, of Largo, died June 8. Born in Detroit, MI, she moved to Florida in 1976. She was a member of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor, a lifetime member of Hadassah and belonged to Brandeis. Survivors include her three sons, Mark Vernick of Seminole, Alan Vernick of Lutz and Steven Vernick of Boston, MA; brother, Jerry Knoppow, West Bloomfield; seven grandchildren. (Curlew Hills Memory Gardens)