Florence Kesselman Slavick

Florence Kesselman Slavick, (nee Rose), age 96, resident of Glendale, WI, died peacefully in her sleep on January 16 after complications from a fall. Beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, grandmother and great-grandmother, she was born in Cleveland, OH, to I. S. Rose and Tillie Rose, and attended University of Wisconsin where she met her first husband, Morton Kesselman. She was the devoted sister to brothers Earl and Norton Rose and sister-in-law to Rita and Dr. Eli Gecht, Muriel and Edward Levin, Ruth and Marvin Silver, all of Milwaukee and all deceased. At the age of 20 she moved to Kesselman's home city of Milwaukee, where she resided for the next 76 years. She was married to Kesselman for 28 years and in 1984, 12 years after his death, she married Monroe Slavick of Milwaukee, who predeceased her in 2008. She was fond of saying that she had been married for over 50 wonderful years, but that it had taken two men to accomplish the feat. She was the proud mother of sons Howard (Niki) of Prescott, AZ, Lee of Glen Ellyn, IL, and John (Georgine) of Mequon, WI, grandmother of their children Lindsay, Robin and Beth, and great-grandmother of Eleanor Paquin and Rowan Lees. She was the proud stepmother of Harris (Skip) Slavick (Linda) of Vineland, NJ, and Marjorie Frank of Brooklyn, NY, grandmother of their children Adam Frank (Kathleen), Benjamin Frank (Austen Kassinger), Jason Slavick (Tamar), and Karen Slavick-Lennard, and great-grandmother of their children, Quincy Frank, Calvin Frank, Teddy Kassinger Frank, and Hannah Lennard. She considered her second husband's progeny as her own and resisted the term "step-." She was known for her generosity, her sociability, her love of family, Jewish traditions, entertaining and friendships. Many called her the matriarch of the family. She was famous for explaining various family relationships and their connections and loved attending recent family reunions. If her sons had friends over to play, she would set an extra place at the dinner table so that they would see they were welcome to stay for dinner. She always wanted to know what was happening in the lives of every member of the family. When her first husband died in 1972, she achieved her real estate sales and broker licenses so that she could manage his business. She was active at Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshuran, where she served on the Temple Board and as President of the Temple Sisterhood. She went on to serve as President of the Midwestern Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, one of her proudest accomplishments. She encouraged her three sons in all their endeavors, including music, athletics, hobbies, and their Jewish educations, and led the Great Books program in its infancy at Fox Point School. She was an avid reader, baker and cook, and frequently wrote to her elected officials to voice her opinions. When invited to serve on a statewide commission, she refused, saying that they had only invited her to serve as a token senior citizen but didn't really care what she thought. Her lifelong love of the arts blossomed in her later years to include regular attendance at the Milwaukee Symphony, Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Art Museum, MET in HD Broadcasts, and Next Act Theatre. She was a fixture in the audience at College of DuPage in Illinois where son Lee and his children performed. She also loved her friends from "the Water Wonders" at Elite Sports Club and her long-time membership in the Rita and Eli Gecht Book Club through the auspices of the Milwaukee Public Library, both of which continued until just months before her death. She was aware of the multitude of changes that had taken place during her lifetime. She managed new technologies grudgingly, but understood that change was always a part of a rich life. She vividly remembered people who were born in the 1850's and embraced her 21st century great-grandchildren whenever she could. She recognized that women were granted the vote only 4 years before her birth and never missed an opportunity to cast her ballot. She recalled men coming to her backdoor for soup during the Great Depression, writing letters to servicemen during WWII and she maintained friendships with her college friends until they passed away earlier this year. She welcomed everyone to her table and to her life, was funny, kind, and fiercely strong. She will be missed and remembered as a nurturing parent, a friend and a role-model. Private interment. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Congregation Shalom in Fox Point, WI, www.cong-shalom.org , American Cancer Society, https://donate3.cancer.org/, or Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org . Topic: Funeral for Florence Slavick Time: Jan 20, 2021 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting hosted by Congregation Shalom https://zoom.us/j/93936971149?pwd=OWRWZEd2SXhhQ1MzdDJjZSthWVoxdz09 Meeting ID: 939 3697 1149 Passcode: Shalom One tap mobile +19292056099,,93936971149# US (New York) +13017158592,,93936971149# US (Washington D.C) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 939 3697 1149 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acKau7OMHk

Florence Kesselman Slavick

May 29, 1924 - January 16, 2021