Selma Medoff

Selma (Brand) Medoff died at the Jewish Healthcare Center on Tuesday, October 14 at the age of 97. Born in New York City, daughter of Samuel and Stella Landau, Mrs. Medoff was for many years a designer of lingerie and women's sleepwear. She once designed a gown for actress Clare Luce for the actress's Broadway appearance in a short-lived show, With a Silken Thread. Mrs. Medoff later became a volunteer Braille transcriber, a service she provided for more than 25 years. She served a term as president of the Connecticut Braille Association, 1964-1966. After moving to Worcester in the 1980s, she became a member of the League of Women Voters, continued her Braille transcribing, was in the senior docent program at the Worcester Art Museum, and was a long-time volunteer at Foothills Theatre and at Worcester's Talking Book Library.

She leaves a daughter, Susan L. (Brand) Smith and her husband Marc as well as two grandsons, Dan and Joe Smith, and numerous nieces and nephews. A brother, Harold, pre-deceased her. Her first husband, Irving Brand, died in 1956; her second husband, David Medoff, died in 1988. Mrs. Medoff has made an anatomical donation of her body to UMass Medical School for research. There are no funeral services, but a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Charitable contributions may be made to the Jewish Healthcare Center, Friends of the Worcester Public Library, or Foothills Theatre.