Mrs. Florence Morgenstern

Mrs. Florence (Brodsky) Morgenstern, born on November 28, 1935, in Newark, New Jersey, to the late Minnie Brodsky, died at age 83 on July 18, 2019 in Boynton Beach, Florida. Florence's mother Minnie, a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe, raised Florence and her sister Gilda as a single mother. Minnie instilled strong values in her daughters, including hard work and honesty, which Florence exhibited throughout her life.

Florence graduated from Weequahic High School in 1953 and married her beloved Seymour Morgenstern in 1955. Florence and Seymour moved around the country because of Seymour's job, but in 1966 they settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. By that time, the young couple had three children: Caren, Jeffrey, and Emanuel.

While living in Pittsfield, Florence opened several clothing stores in the region, including her flagship store Mod Mod World. She flew to New York every week to buy merchandise for the stores, and later in life she loved to stop in the city to buy beads for jewelry she made. She was known as an incredible saleswoman at her stores, a skill that came in handy for her later business ventures.

Florence was very active in Jewish life in Pittsfield and later in South Florida. With her sister and brother-in-law, Gilda and Jacob Halpern, as well as her husband Seymour, they founded a Jewish summer camp in New York State called Camp Columbia. With Florence and Seymour's support, Gilda and Jacob operated the camp for close to a decade, touching the lives of many children in the process. Florence also learned to chant Torah and even taught her own granddaughter to do so for her bat mitzvah. She led community seders and Shabbat services. She was also a strong supporter of the State of Israel.

Throughout her life, Florence had a great passion for music and art. She was an accomplished musician herself, playing piano and accordion, as well as singing. She led a klezmer band in the 1980s, and, as her sister Gilda pointed out, the rest of the band members were men. Florence also painted, sculpted, sewed, made mosaics, and made countless pieces of jewelry. Her home was filled with artwork - both her originals and pieces she collected - and her grandchildren fondly remember receiving home-decorated cards for their birthdays and holidays every year.

Florence and Seymour moved permanently to Florida in 1995. They spent the summers in New Jersey, before deciding to spend summers in Vermont in order to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Florence was an avid tennis player and bridge player, no matter where she was living.

In 2005, Florence and Seymour started organizing a small series of concerts within their Cascades community in Boynton Beach. They didn't realize at the time that they were inadvertently starting an empire! The small gatherings grew to become Community Performing Arts, a series of concerts that, at its peak, had 12,000 subscribers. Florence was the artistic director, choosing many of the acts and producing original shows based on her deep knowledge of classical, popular, and Jewish music. She was also the organization's greatest saleswoman, often spending hours on the phone with patrons and making sure everyone was happy. She worked closely with her son Jeffrey to grow the business, and her daughter Caren also assisted with its operations.

Florence took great pride in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She always told wonderful stories and was known to tell a dirty joke or two. She also inspired her family and community to be honest, creative, and kind - to laugh at life, but always to treat people with respect. Perhaps nothing exemplified that more than her dedication to her husband, Seymour, throughout his long struggle with Parkinson's disease. She never liked to leave his side, and she always bragged about how handsome he was when she woke up next to him every morning. Florence and Seymour were married 64 years.

Florence will truly be missed by her family and her community. She is survived by her husband, Seymour, and her sister, Gilda Halpern; her children, Caren Morningstar, Jeffrey (Miriam) Morgenstern, and Emanuel (Dena Lerner) Morgenstern; grandchildren, Toby (Daniel) Lewin, George (Meredith) Sloan, Matthew (Michelle) Sloan, Mia (Jonathan) Hall, Emma (Sam Anzaroot) Morgenstern, and Michael (Elizabeth) Sloan; and great-grandchildren, Joshua and Max Lewin, Leon, Shoshana, and Silas Hall, Milo Sloan, and Benji Sloan. She also leaves behind her dog, Vinnie. Donations in Florence's name to The Pap Corps, Cascades Chapter, World ORT, and Hadassah are welcome and appreciated.