Obituaries

In Remembrance: Joel David Pressman, Abolghassem Ghaffari, Kenneth Peters, Syd Field

Remembrances and obituary information for individuals with ties to Beverly Hills.

Joel David Pressman
Born April 17, 1950 in Los Angeles, California to Marjorie and Rabbi Jacob Pressman, Joel attended Beverly Vista School and Beverly Hills High School.
He went on to teach choral music and performing arts at Beverly Hills High School, and for many years was chairman of the Performing Arts Department. He retired in June 2013. Click here for the full obit.

Kenneth Peters
Former Beverly Hills Superintendent Kenneth Peters passed away Nov. 25. He was 98 years old. As BHUSD Superintendent from 1959 to 1981, Peters was known around California as a champion for quality education programs. Click here for the full article.

Syd Field
The author of the screenplay manual that inspired James Cameron and Judd Apatow to make movies died Nov. 17 at his home in Beverly Hills of a blood disorder. Syd Field's book "Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting" has been required reading in Hollywood since it was published in 1979. It has been translated into 23 languages and used in universities around the world. Click here for the full obit.

Robert R. Dockson
Born in 1917 in Quincy, Illinois, Robert R. Dockson earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1939. He earned his masters's degree from USC's School of International Relations in 1940. Dockson served four years in the U. S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II before returning to USC to complete a doctorate in economics in 1946. A memorial service will be held on December 7 at 2:30pm at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, 505 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills. Click here for the full obit.

Catherine Day Older
Catherine Day Older was born on October 21, 1919 in Los Angeles, CA to Dorothy and Loring Day. She was a third generation Californian. Catherine was raised in Beverly Hills, CA and graduated from Beverly Hills High School. n high school, Catherine met her future husband, Charles Herman Older. Catherine and Charles became engaged shortly before Charles left to serve in China as Flying Tiger prior to World War II. They married on August 9, 1942 in Beverly Hills, CA. One of her crowning golf achievements was her "hole-in-one" at the LACC golf course. Click here for the full obit.

Janice Bernstein

Janice Bernstein passed away peacefully at her home. She was a remarkable woman who overcame many obstacles early in life to achieve great things.
She ran for the Los Angeles Board of Education in 1971, served on the board of directors of the Community Relations Conference of Southern California, and was appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley as the president of the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission. She also served as the executive director of the West Los Angeles-Beverly Hills YWCA. Click here for the full obit.

Arnold Joseph Flegenheimer
Arnold Joseph Flegenheimer, 89, of Beverly Hills, CA passed away peacefully on December 1, 2013. He was born on April 17, 1924 in New York, where he lived with his wife Amalie and family most of his life. He and Amalie were married on May 20, 1950. They worked together at Arnold J. Flegenheimer, Inc., an Excess Line Insurance Brokerage firm in Roslyn, N.Y. for over 25 years. Click here for the full obit.

Abolghassem Ghaffari
Renowned scientist Dr. Abolghassem Ghaffari, who had taught at Harvard and Princeton Universities, passed away Tuesday, November 5th at 10:55pm in Los Angeles. He was 106 years old. Born in Tehran in 1907, he was educated at Darolfonoun School (Tehran). In 1929, he went to France and studied Mathematics and Physics at Nancy University, where he took his L-es-Sc. in Mathematics in 1932. In 2007, he received a proclamation from former Beverly Hills mayor and current Goodwill Ambassador Jimmy Delshad acknowledging his numerous lifetime achievements. Click here for the full obit.

David B. Seizer
David was born into the loving family of Henry and Edith Seizer in Des Moines, Iowa. The family moved to Beverly Hills when he was six, and he graduated from Berverly Hills High. He was an accomplished softball pitcher and also played football and basketball.After high school he joined the army with about 50 of his friends from Beverly and he completed seven years of reserve duty. David graduated from UCLA and joined Xerox, where he became legendary in both sales and sales management. The impact he made on individuals' lives is something he always cherished. Click here for the full obit.

Shirley Green Hirsch
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts to the late Eli and Edith Carlson Green, her family moved to Trenton, New Jersey in 1934 where she lived until she "retired" in 1994. She became a social worker for the Ewing Township school system's Special Services department where she worked until retirement when she moved to Los Angeles. There, she became a Senior Peer Counselor for the Maple Center in Beverly Hills, a middle school tutor, a docent for the Los Angeles Conservancy for which she gave walking tours of Little Tokyo and an avid student at the Emeritus College of Santa Monica where she studied Spanish, Shakespeare and Modern Plays. She continued taking yoga classes past her 80th birthday. Click here for the full obit.

Amy Hoban
October 26, 2013 Western fashion designer Amy Hoban, 62, passed away in Palm Desert, CA. An enthusiastic supporter of the arts, Hoban was active with Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Costume Council, the Autry National Center, and the National Cowgirl Museum. Raised as Amy Mart, she attended Beverly Hills High School. Click here for the full obit.
Maurice Cushing "Mike" Inman Jr.
November 26, 2013 Mike graduated from UCLA summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and from Harvard Law School. A long time Beverly Hills attorney, Mike served in the Reagan administration as General Counsel in the Department of Immigration and Naturalization. Click here for the full obit.

Judith Ann Kaplan
Born May 17, 1940 Judy, beloved mother and grandmother, passed away on November 26th at Cedars Sinai, where she had volunteered at the gift shop for over 30 years. She was born, raised and resided in Beverly Hills.
She enjoyed making people smile with her chocolate boxes, crafty cards and jello molds. "Grandma Judy" loved nothing more than caring for, watching and spending time with with her grandchildren. Click here for the full obit.
Julie Ann Laughlin
November 23, 2013 Julie Ann (Benkovic) Laughlin passed away on November 23, 2013, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She was a long time resident of Los Angeles and had been active in her parish, Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills, and in her children's schools, Good Shepherd and St. Martin of Tours in Brentwood. Click here for the full obit.

Marilyn Hill Levy
Marilyn passed away peacefully in her home with her devoted husband of 29 years, Robert Levy, and best friend, Ginger Perkins, by her side. She was born in Beverly Hills and moved to Newport Beach as a teenager. She attended UC Santa Barbara for her undergraduate degree and received her teaching credential from UCLA. She lived in Rancho Palos Verdes for the last 29 years. Click here for the full obit.
Joan Kleefeld "Jonie" Loew
November 19, 2013 Jonie Loew passed away peacefully at her home just past midnight. Her devoted caregivers, Nancy and Irma were by her side around the clock along with her loving family. Born in New York to Sidney and Sylvia Kleefeld, Jonie resided in Beverly Hills from childhood. She attended UCSB. At the age of 26, she contracted polio and spent years overcoming the many challenges she faced. Click here for the full obit.

Jerome Lewis Mariam
December 1, 2013 Born in Cape Girardeau, MO, Jerry moved with his family to Southern California in 1950. Raised in Beverly Hills, CA, graduated Beverly Hills High School, and served in the Army in 1960. Jerry had a passion for cars and he began a long and successful career in that industry that began in the mid 60's. He was a fixture in the community of Venice, CA where he lived for over 45 years and was known as "The guy you could call on whenever you needed help with anything." Click here for the full obit.
Dennis James O'Rourke
Dennis was born in North Hollywood, CA to Dennis and Betty O'Rourke. He attended St. Jane Francis grade school, and graduated Notre Dame High. He was successful in Beverly Hills real estate but left to further his education in Hawaii. He most recently lived in New York where he passed away with his nurse companion Miriam Galaza, best friend Bob Goode, and mother at his side. Click here for the full obit.

Milla Caldwell Tarr
Born January 24, 1929 in Beverly Hills, died October 12, 2013 at her home in Rancho Palos Verdes after a short illness. Click here for the full obit.

Ezio Umberto Zanutta
Dr. Ezio U. Zanutta passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family on Oct. 31, 2013. He was 89. He practiced medicine (Ob/Gyn) in Santa Monica from 1964-1980; associated at the Tyler Reproductive-Medicine Clinic in Westwood, (1980-1991); and served on the medical staff of Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica Health Center, and the Beverly Hills Medical Center. Click here for the full obit.

Tamara Praw
Beloved mother of Albert (Heidi) Praw and Harold (Jackie) Praw. Services were held at 10am on Friday, November 29, 2013, Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries - Hollywood Hills (800) 600-0076. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Beth Jacob Congregation of Beverly Hills. Click here for the full obit.

Many obituaries are reported by the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Breeze, the Beverly Hills Courier and Los Angeles Daily News.




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