Elizabeth “Betty” Brodney Feldman died on April 25, 2016, in Aventura, Fla., at the age of 93. Her funeral ceremony was held graveside at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Cemetery in Vineyard Haven on Thursday, April 28, 2016. Betty called her beloved Martha’s Vineyard home for the past 35 years.
Betty was born March 11, 1923, to Simon and Sarah Brodney of Chestnut Hill. She was one of seven children, and cherished her parents, brothers, and sisters. Betty spent her elementary school years at the Edward Devotion School in Brookline, later years at Girls Latin School in Boston, and graduated from Newton High School in 1940.
She attended Jackson College, the women’s college of Tufts University, and graduated in 1944 with a bachelor of science. At her death, Betty was the oldest Tufts alumni on Martha’s Vineyard. She majored in biochemistry, and after graduation, her first job was at the Boston Dispensary, in bacteriology, during World War II. Next she worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the geology department, trying to extract aluminum from bauxite for the war effort.
Betty married Eli Feldman after he returned from the war in 1945. They moved to Oak Hill, where they had two children, a son named Warren in 1947, and a daughter named Midge in 1950. They moved to West Newton, and lived there for 33 years while spending summers at a home in Nantasket Beach and on a 28-foot red wooden Pembroke cabin cruiser.
Betty was a lifelong learner; she returned to school and graduated from Boston University in 1972 with a master’s in education to become a guidance counselor She was hired by the Boston Public Schools, and worked as a guidance counselor for many years, then as the career education coordinator. She retired after 28 years, and started a consulting business with her colleague and friend. That venture lasted for five more years. Finally Betty retired, but never stopped caring for people and helping them grow to the best of their abilities.
Her love for Martha’s Vineyard started in 1958 during summer vacation with Eli, Warren, Midge, and Pam the German shepherd as they motored their way to Carpenter and Painter’s Marina in Vineyard Haven Harbor. They would continue to return to the Vineyard for many more wonderful years of summer vacations.
Thirty-five years ago, Betty decided to buy her beloved home in Vineyard Haven and became an active contributor to Tisbury Waterways Inc. (TWI), while at the same time becoming close friends with founding members. Betty felt that saving and protecting the Vineyard waters, harbors, and marine life was of paramount importance, along with educating people regarding their stewardship. She and her friends were always involved with the Tisbury Street Fair TWI booth, and setting up the exhibit at the yearly Agricultural Fair. In 1991, Betty joined the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, and was an active member.
Ultimately, Betty was mostly known for being a caring and supportive person to all. She will be missed by many. She is survived by her daughter Midge Jacobs, grandson Andrew Jacobs, son Warren Feldman and his wife Karen, grandson Neal Feldman and his wife Symara, great-grandson Zachary Feldman, nieces and their spouses Dossy and Bob Lewin, Jeanne and David Goldner, Cynthia and Bernie Zucker, Eleanor and Fred Coe, Phyllis Brodny, Rosie and Richard Feldheim, and great-niece Amy Bruckman and Pete Weimann, nephews and their spouses Larry and Myra Brodney, David and Kathy Brodney, Richard and Rina Brodney, and Bob and Linda Brodney. Betty leaves behind many great-nieces and -nephews, her sister-in-law Edith Brodney, countless dear friends from off and on the Island, and neighbors from her longtime Vineyard community. As she was the youngest in her family, she is predeceased by all of her beloved siblings, Mac, Oscar, Ed, Fred, Sylvia, Norma, and their spouses, her husband Eli, and nephew Robert Brodney.
Donations can be made in Betty’s memory to the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, P.O. Box 692, 130 Center Street, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568-0692.