Funeral Details

Arlene Joyce Weitzman Richman

After a long illness, Arlene Joyce Weitzman Richman z”l died on L’ag b’Omer 5784, 27 May, 2024, days shy of her 94th birthday. She was born early in the Depression, on the South Side of Chicago, 4 June, 1930 as the first child of Anne Brandt and Sidney Weitzman. The milieu of a vibrant Jewish communal life and the frugal mindset that guided her choices, shaped Arlene’s life. She was of an independent mind: traveling for ten weeks in the 1950’s to Europe with her childhood friend JoAnn, and following her passion for the arts and music throughout her life, singing with Opera Omaha, The Omaha Playhouse, at weddings and with the Omaha Beth El Choir. She worked for many years as a teacher and an aide in Omaha’s District 66 elementary schools.

Her love of tradition and family gave her first grandchild, Avishai, one of his strongest memories of her, pounding the Seder table, in her father’s traditional booming voice and commanding “Pour out your wrath …”!

Funeral services will be held in Chicago, through Chicago Jewish Funerals, on Thursday 30 May at 2 pm. To attend the funeral livestream, please visit the funeral home's website.
Arlene z”l is survived by her two children and their spouses, Elyza Richmon HaLev (Jeff Spinner HaLev) and Michael Richman (Harrison Parker) and her three grandchildren, Avishai, Davida and Shoshana HaLev, and her nephew Jeremy Weitzman (Aliza) and their three children, Ephraim, Yaffa and Shlomo. She was predeceased by her adoring husband, Harry David Richman z”l , her parents Sidney/Shlomo Weitzman and Anne Brandt Weitzman, and her brother Jerrold Weitzman.

Donations may be made in her memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, The National Council of Jewish Women or The Durham Literacy Center