Brandeis Magazine

Aileen Janet Ofer, MA’70, of Edgartown and Needham, Mass., who taught English language and literature at Northeastern University for more than 20 years, died on Sept. 3, 2014. She leaves her son, David; her brother, David; and two grandchildren. Her husband, Moshe, died in 2006. She is also survived by a cousin, Rachel Horowitz ’77. Robert Porter, Heller PhD’70, of Savannah, Ga., a professor at Emory University and the University of West Virginia, died on Sept. 28, 2014. He leaves two daughters, Janet and Pamela, and four grandchildren. Mark Blumenthal ’71, of Cary, N.C., a physician, died on Sept. 18, 2014. He served as public health medical officer at the Tennessee Department of Health and as an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. He leaves his mother, Sharon, and his brother, Bruce. Robert Levine ’72, of Seattle, a highly regarded physician, died on Dec. 26, 2014, after a long fight with kidney cancer. A graduate of the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, he was a practicing OB-GYN at Northwest Women’s Healthcare, where he was a founding partner. He earned a reputation as a calm and reassuring caregiver. He enjoyed skiing, cycling and any sort of outdoor adventure, especially with family and friends. He leaves his wife, Karen; his daughters, Molly and Emily; his brother, Richard; and his father, Al. Janet Packer, MA’72, of Groton, Mass., a violin teacher who led the strings department at the Longy School of Music, in Cambridge, Mass., for 12 years, died of liposarcoma on June 20, 2014. Well-known in the Boston music community as a promoter of new works, she was also devoted to studying baroque music and preserving older performance styles. She leaves her husband, Sam Rechtoris; her father, Leo; and her brother, Alex. Jane Sugarman ’72, of Greensboro, N.C., a paper conservator and artist, died on Nov. 20, 2014. For nearly 25 years, she worked as a paper conservator, serving museums and private collectors. She was an artist in a wide range of media: sculpture in stone, clay and bronze; weaving on warp-weighted and harness looms; and painting on silk. She leaves her husband, Ken, and two sisters, Bahira and Nancy. Mark Kozol ’74, of Canton, Mass., an attorney, died on Oct. 15, 2014. He leaves his wife of 29 years, Joyce; his children, Adam and Alison; his mother, Ruth; and his brother, Neil. He is also survived by his cousin Stephen Kozol ’83. Joel Bernstein ’75, of Del Mar, Calif., a medical oncologist for 30 years, died on Dec. 25, 2014. He was regarded by his cancer patients as a compassionate, brilliant healer of body and spirit. He leaves his brother, Marvin, and his sister, Barbara. Amy Natkins Lipton ’75, an attorney who cared deeply about making the world a better place, died in January. She enjoyed a long and successful career, including serving as general counsel at CUC International and deputy general counsel at Cendant. Amy’s life was shaped by passionately held values that centered on family, friends and acts of goodness. She was active in Israel- and education-related politics, advocacy and philanthropy. She served on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s national council and co-founded a bipartisan, pro-Israel women’s political group. She leaves her husband of 38 years, Richard; her children, Lianna and Justin; and her sisters, Priscilla and Maria. Dilek Barlas, PhD’78, of Billerica, Mass., an engineer and semiconductor entrepreneur, died on Dec. 24, 2014. After earning his doctorate in physics from Brandeis, the native of Turkey worked at Raytheon and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He also held a number of senior engineering positions with Adams-Russell, M/A-Com, ST Microsonics and TriQuint Semiconductor, where he organized and headed the Boston Design Center. He is survived by his son, Nuri; his mother, Melahat; and his sister, Mine. Susan Shwom ’78, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., died on Oct. 20, 2014. A lifelong Bostonian, she leaves her husband of 29 years, Leonard; her daughter, Naomi; her mother, Lillian; her sister, Gail; and her brother, David.