Our dear Aunt Louise passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 10 in Brooklyn. She was 95 years old, and had a wonderful life. Her husband Jack Richman predeceased her in 2007.
Louise was born in Buffalo New York. Her parents, born in Russia, were both doctors, although her mother did not practice medicine in America.
A professor of Mathematics at Kingsborough Community College for many years, Louise began her career at Hunter College in Manhattan. Beloved by both colleagues and students, she was known for her clearly presented, perfectly organized lectures.
Louise was a remarkable woman.
She was a brilliant mathematician, a gifted math teacher, a prolific writer, and a happily skeptical person. She loved the theater, dance, and classical music; she and Jack also loved to travel.
She cared deeply about her extended family: With no children of her own, she doted on her nephews. Louise strongly supported and encouraged her nephew David to continue pursuing mathematics, including going to graduate school for mathematics in Boston, where he met his future wife, Christina. Louise would always inquire after people she cared about (and their pets!), ending her queries with “But how are they really?”
Always interested in the place of women in the sciences, particularly mathematics, she wrote or co-wrote a number of books and scholarly articles on women in the sciences. In addition to her research on women in science, Louise did extensive research into her own family history. She was able to have letters from family members in Russia translated into English These letters have become a treasured part of our family’s history. In addition, she carefully archived our family’s documents, some of which she donated to the Jewish Museum in New York.
Louise is survived by her two nephews, Richard and David, their wives, Nancy and Christina, and her grandnieces and grandnephew.
Louise will be interred at Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus NJ. The funeral will be Sunday, May 18 at 11:30 am. Visitation will be following the funeral at Sunrise at Sheepshead Bay, 2211 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, from 3:00-5:30 PM.
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