NORA MALIS

1923 - 2020

MALIS, Nora Age 97, of Salem, NH and formerly of Stuart, FL and Andover, MA, passed away on April 25 from complications of coronavirus. Born February 23, 1923, she was the youngest daughter of Frank and Minnie (Feldman) Weinrich of New York City. Raised in the Bronx, she attended New York City public schools. Her father owned a clothing store, Loyal Men's Shop in Harlem, where she helped out after school and on weekends. She enjoyed reminiscing about the time spent in her father's store and how, once she had finished her work, her father would give her a nickel for the Apollo Theatre, which was on the same block. It nurtured her love of music, and she saw all of the great acts of the time there. She was also an immense Frank Sinatra fan and joked that she was "one of the original teenage bobby soxers." Following graduation from high school, she went to work for her father full-time. She had a large circle of friends and enjoyed a broad social life. In 1944, she met her husband, Irving, who was in New York for Army training, on a blind date. He was subsequently shipped overseas and following his return from the war, they married in 1946, settling in his hometown of Lawrence, MA. There, he took over the management of his own family's business, also a haberdashery, Duke's Men's Shop. Nora served as the store's bookkeeper. In her later years, she would speak about the culture shock she felt, moving from New York City and her very secular Jewish family, to living upstairs from her far more orthodox in-laws in Lawrence. But while she would always remain a New Yorker at heart, she soon became active in her new community, becoming deeply rooted there. Together with her husband they ran the store, which was a fixture on Lawrence's Essex Street. Multiple generations of Merrimack Valley residents shopped there, and for countless boys of the era, Duke's was the ritual destination for the purchase of a first suit or back to school clothing. In 1967, she and her husband moved to Andover, where they remained for forty years, raising two sons. Along with her husband, Nora was widely known in the community, active in the Jewish Community Center of Lawrence and at Temple Emanuel in Andover. She was a member of the Temple's Sisterhood and a life member of Hadassah. She and her husband were also longtime members of Indian Ridge Country Club. They began traveling to Florida in the winters before moving permanently there in 2007. Following their move, she continued to volunteer for multiple causes, including Brandeis National Committee and recording Books for the Blind. In her spare time, she swam, played golf, and was an avid and accomplished player of both mahjongg and bridge. But her main passion was reserved for travel. Together with Irving, they traveled extensively around the world. She was an ardent museum goer, theatre and music lover, particularly Broadway musicals and opera, and a big fan of dining out. She took immense pride in the many accomplishments of her children and grandchildren. Her will was indomitable, and while she survived multiple serious illnesses throughout her life, she never allowed them to define her or slow her down. Even in her final years, she impressed her many caregivers with her zest for life, and recently celebrated her 97th birthday party with family and her favorite Chinese food. She will be deeply missed by the many lives she touched, and by the greater Andover/Lawrence community, of which she and her husband were once such an integral part. Her beloved husband Irving died in 2013, and she remained in Florida for several years before returning to New England to be closer to her children. She leaves her son, Andrew Malis and daughter-in-law Leslie Seaton Malis of Andover, MA, and son Stuart Malis and daughter-in-law Judee Malis of Methuen, MA. She was the cherished grandmother of Jonathan Malis of Baltimore, MD and Steven Malis of Redmond, WA. She also leaves nieces Marsha and Judy Genensky of California, and Carol McDonnell Mellman and Evelyn Greenwood of Florida. Memorial Services will be private. Contributions to Nora's memory may be made to the Massachusetts Nurses Association at www.massnurses.org or the Temple Emanuel of Andover Social Action Fund at templeemanuel.net/giving/ Funeral arrangements are with Morse-Bayliss. To share a memory through their online guestbook, please visit www.morsebaylissfuneralhome.com