Nancy Jackson Seiberling ’39 died on Jan. 12.

After graduating as an art-history major, Nancy took a job at the Toledo Museum of Art, where she met her husband, Frank. In 1959, the family moved to Iowa City. As her four children grew, Nancy became more active as a civic volunteer. Her lifetime interest in art expanded, and Nancy’s “canvas” covered the terrain. Joining a landscape architect, she was the spokesperson and persuader in beautifying the city through numerous plantings. That vision helped make Iowa City the vibrant town it is today. Sadly, Alzheimer’s disease affected Nancy’s final years.

Hope Cowen Solomons, M.A. ’54
Susan Kuehn Boyd ’47

Alma Shoolman Goldman ’39 passed away on Feb. 13.

Alma was an outstanding woman in the business and philanthropic community at a time when it was very difficult for a woman to be that. When she was a plant manager (1940–45), she was required to assume a man’s name for contact with the outside world. Her volunteer career with the National Council of Jewish Women spanned 55 years. She served as national secretary and, later, treasurer of the International Council of Jewish Women, in which role she traveled the world. She was one of the top duplicate bridge players in Massachusetts. She was clearly ahead of her time.

Louise Grossman

Lorraine Stanley Berlin ’41 died on March 15.

During World War II, Lorraine left Lockheed Aircraft to join the Red Cross and deployed to northeast India with the US Army Air Corps’ famed 444th and 20th Bomb Groups. In 1946, she served in Germany and Austria with the US occupation forces. Married in Austria in 1947 to William, she and her husband began a remarkable 42-year journey (21 overseas) together in politics, business, Air Force counterintelligence, education, counseling, and raising their four children.

She was full of wit, wisdom, intelligence, sparkle, and fun. She is sorely missed by her A Street neighbors, her many friends, and most especially her family.

Leslie Allen ’80

Jane Herbert Kirk ’44 passed away on March 29 in Falmouth, Maine.

After graduation, Jane, aka “Herbie,” went to work for IBM as a systems service representative. One of Jane’s many accomplishments in that role was designing the first Maine Turnpike tollbooth ticket.

Jane met and married William Kirk in 1948 and raised three children in Saco, Maine. She was active in the community, volunteering and serving on boards, and enjoyed golf, bridge, the arts, and the companionship of many lifelong friends, many of whom she met at Wellesley.

Lindsay, Lise, and Gig Kirk

Janet “Cookie” Cooke Lillis ’46 died on April 9 at age 90.

Returning to Poughkeepsie after graduation, she worked for IBM, where she met her husband, Roger. She worked at The Three Arts Book Store and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. She worked as a registered nurse until retiring in 1986 and moving to California. Janet was always proud to say her classmates became friends for life. Until recently, she loved to attend reunions.

She is survived by a son, Roger Lillis, Jr., of Portland, Ore., a daughter, Joanne Mejia of Walnut, Calif., two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Joanne Mejia
Roger P. Lillis, Jr.

Beverly Braverman Kislak ’48 died on March 13 at her Miami home.

Our mother treasured her time at Wellesley, where seeds were planted for a lifetime of supporting women’s rights. A proud member of the League of Women Voters and chapter president of the National Organization for Women, she was also an accomplished pilot and a talented photographer and painter.

Wellesley was always a presence in our lives. Mother served as president of the Wellesley Club of South Florida. For nearly 70 years, she and seven dear classmates faithfully participated in a round-robin letter. In her letters, Mother left for us a vibrant, insightful family history—a truly special gift.

Jonathan, Philip, and Paula Kislak

Mary “Rusty” Sullivan Simon ’53 passed away on Feb. 19, 2014, after a 20-year battle with leukemia. She was an award-winning journalist and foreign correspondent. She also held editorships at Interiors, Look, and Life magazines and eventually became the first female senior editor of the New York Times Sunday Magazine and editor in chief of Food and Wine magazine. She will be remembered for her intellectual prowess, culinary skills, and love of gardening and aesthetic beauty. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Walter, two daughters, and six grandchildren.

Rollene Waterman
Saal Forma ’53

Mary Tebbetts Wolfe ’54 was born in New Hampshire on Christmas Day, 1931. She died on Oct. 23, 2014, in Toledo, Ohio, surrounded by her husband of 60 years, her daughters, and friends. She lived a long, productive, and beautiful life, fueled by her passion for art and joie de vivre.

Mary attended Brooklyn’s Packer Collegiate School and then Manchester Central High School in New Hampshire. At the latter, Archie Comics artist Bob Montana spotted her; she became the model for Veronica.

At Wellesley, Mary excelled in art history and was encouraged to do graduate study. She remained extremely close to her college roommates and friends.

Christine Wolfe Nichols

Abigail Ruskin Krystall ’55 died peacefully in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 1, after a lengthy illness. Abby exuded a tremendous life force—obvious in the intensity of her eyes and mind. That same intensity extended to her loyalty—to her family, friends, and, of course, Wellesley. It was a “badge of honor” to travel from Kenya for class reunions. Abby spent her life learning and teaching, through work with the Ford and Rockefeller foundations and her synagogue. Her love of family was immeasurable. It will be a challenge to the class of 1955 to imagine reunion without her.

Ellen Rogers Saxl ’55

Nancy Wittenberg Rader ’56 died on Oct. 21, 2014, in Acton, Mass.

Her name was Nancy, but we called her “Wittibug.” She possessed the true wit that questions all assumptions and prejudices. Her favorite Wellesley course was Miss Balderston’s Shakespeare. Nancy was “not only witty in [herself] but the cause that wit was in other[s].” Laughing with her, we became wiser.

After Wellesley, she was a guidance counselor, and later counseled adult substance abusers, while raising two gifted and exceptional daughters, Elizabeth Hannah Rader and Amy Rader Ohlsson. She was a passionate lifelong advocate for educational reform and progressive politics.

Margaret Dandy Gontrum ’56
Sarah Hallaran Gramentine ’56

Naomi Weisstein ’61 died on March 26.

From boogie-playing monk singing “Song of the Effete Beat” in junior show to renowned feminist writer, Naomi used her brilliant mind and multiple talents to challenge sexism wherever she encountered it. Her 1968 essay, “Kinder, Küche, Kirche as Scientific Law: Psychology Constructs the Female,” has been reprinted in over 50 publications. A 1979 Guggenheim Fellow, Naomi taught at U Chicago, Loyola U in Chicago, and SUNY Buffalo until her 40s, when she was stricken with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Though bedridden after that, she continued writing on science and feminism.

Andrea Julian ’61

Barbara Levy ’63 died on March 1, on her 74th birthday.

I met Barb the first day of freshman year; she was open and lively and chatty. After 18 years in Puerto Rico, she moved to Cambridge, Mass., letting us pick up where we’d left off. She was a happy risk taker, eager for new experiences. She made friends easily, of her colleagues, neighbors, swimming buddies, even hospice caregivers. Barb leaves her daughter, Nadine; son-in-law, Alan; and much-adored grandchildren, Matthew and Emily; along with a brother and sister, a host of cousins, and all those friends. I will miss her deeply.

Liz Caeser Lieberman ’63

Susan Titus Goldstone ’66 died on Feb. 11 of cancer.

An award-winning photographer with a keen artistic eye and the technical skills to produce beautiful images, Susan often viewed her world through the lens of her camera. Whether the photos were macros of flowers in her garden in Rhode Island, landscapes of the mountains above her home in Santa Fe, or intimate portraits capturing the essence of boyhood in her cherished grandsons, Susan leaves a photographic legacy of what she most valued. What her friends most valued in her was her quiet dignity, her constant loyalty, and her gentle spirit.

Jane Burington Coutts ’66