Clara Madian Jaffe

1919 - 2015

Clara Madian Jaffe obituary, 1919-2015, Los Angeles, CA

Clara Jaffe Obituary

June 21, 1919 - December 12, 2015
Clara Madian Jaffe was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts to Jacob Madian and Gussie Rimmelman Madian. After graduating from Salem State Teachers College, she married Sidney Jaffe and headed west. Their first stop was at a military base in Palacios, Texas where Sidney was stationed. After Sidney left the army, they headed to California where they lived the rest of their lives. During the sixties, Clara ran the Curriculum Laboratory in the Dept. of Education at UCLA. For many years after that she worked as a docent for the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom. She loved opening the world of nature to inner city children. Clara had a large group of friends with whom she would ride bikes at the beach, play cards, and discuss books and politics. She was a member of two book groups. A life-long learner and guide, she saved articles and information for everyone she was close to. Clara continued to play bridge and do the daily crossword puzzle well into her nineties. Professional sports were a favorite pastime. She rarely missed a Dodgers or Lakers game. Clara will be remembered for her wit and legendary outspokenness. Her life was filled with world travel, from hiking in Nepal to riding buses through Mexico and Latin America. After losing her leg to peripheral vascular disease at 80, she amazed everyone with her fiercely independent spirit. She is survived by her children Linda, Gale and her partner Allen, and Robert and his wife Margaret. She is also survived by her loving grandson Amir, and devoted caregiver Miriam. She was preceded in death by her husband Sidney Jaffe in 1976, and her partner Abby Wilson in 1993. We can never be prepared for the loss of someone we love. However, when it does happen, we can be prepared to celebrate her life. The family will celebrate Clara's birthday June 18, 2016. For further information contact Gale Jaffe, [email protected]

Published by Los Angeles Times from Feb. 3 to Feb. 7, 2016.
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Clara was a friend of my mother's. There was a house on Lankersham my grandmother owned, and after the war Sid and Clara rented the apartment from my parents, and I think that's how they met. They became great friends.

I've known Clara for 60 years. I bought my very first car from her, a 1960-something white Pontiac LeMans. She gave me credit terms, I neglected to pay her, and she had to repossess it. I felt terrible, but she was good natured about it.

Much more recently, we were at dinner with Clara, and we asked her if she heard what we were saying. She replied, "I hear what you're saying, but I'm not listening." She had a very good sense of humor. She gave my daughter a couple of giant grubs from Santa Cruz, and Amanda played with them like pets for months.

She and Dale loved to go to movies together, and everyone thought when she lost her leg, when she was 80 years old, it was the end, and she lived another 14 years and drove her own car. What a tough old lady.

Robby, Linda, and Gail, Clara was one of the last links I had to my mom, and although I saw her infrequently, it was always a good time. I'm sorry for your loss.

Andrew Halperin

February 19, 2016

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