Obituary of Dorothy Gersten
Dorothy Gersten, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at the Beechwood Nursing Home in Buffalo, NY.
Born Dorothy Sirott on March 8, 1919, in the Ukraine, she was the daughter of the late Reuben and Sarah Sirott. At the age of 4, she came to the United States with her family and settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she excelled as a student and attended the University of Minnesota. Following her adventurous spirit, she moved to Los Angeles to be on her own, and soon thereafter, joined the Navy as a WAVE to serve her country during World War II. It was while she was in the service that she met Max Gersten, then a naval officer, in San Diego. They were married on June 1, 1946, a marriage that lasted more than 61 years until Max’s death in 2008.
The lived their entire married life together in Monticello, where they raised their four sons. Dorothy was a long-time housewife and part-time clerk at various jobs, including Gusar’s Pharmacy, Klein’s Children’s Clothing and, for many years, Monticello Raceway. She loved to travel and see the world. With her husband, she arranged trips to Japan, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Russia and Israel.
Dorothy was also well-known for taking long walks with her husband, even when they were well into their 90’s, throughout Monticello. She was extremely strong-willed and independent, taking care of her own home beyond her 97th birthday. She was always supportive of her four sons and grandson and will be greatly missed by her family.
Dorothy is survived by her sons, Jeffrey Gersten and his wife Patricia of Monticello, Ronald Gersten and his wife Joey of San Francisco, William Gersten and his long-time companion, Lucia of Buffalo and Bruce Gersten and his wife Lucy of San Francisco, as well as her grandson, Daniel.
She was pre-deceased by her parents and brothers George, Edward, Irving and Samuel Sirott.
A graveside funeral service will take place on Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 12:00 noon at the Landfield Avenue Synagogue Cemetery, Old Thompson Road, Monticello, NY with Rabbi Yakkov Barros officiating.
Memorial contributions in Dorothy's name may me made to Meals on Wheels of Sullivan County c/o Office for the Aging, 100 North Street , P.O. Box 5012 , Monticello, NY 12701 or to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, PO Box 515, Northampton, MA 01061-0515.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home - Monticello; to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.josephngarlickfuneralhome.com.
