ADELE CONSTANCE GREENFIELD

GREENFIELD ADELE CONSTANCE (nee GERSH) February 22, 1928 - June 26, 2025 Of Cape Cod, a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and philanthropist, died peacefully at home on June 26, 2025. She was 97 years old. A Philadelphia native, Mrs. Greenfield was the daughter of David Gersh and Sarah Friedman Gersh. She grew up in the Germantown area of Philadelphia with one sister. She attended Philadelphia public schools, graduating first in her class from Germantown High School. She matriculated at Wellesley College before transferring to Bryn Mawr College in her sophomore year and graduating magna cum laude in 1950 with a BA in Sociology. A lifelong learner, she later completed a course of study in art history and art appreciation at The Barnes Foundation under the tutelage of Violette de Mazia. For many years, she enjoyed classes in the art of Japanese flower arrangement through the Philadelphia Chapter of Ikebana International. She was introduced to her future husband, Bruce Greenfield, by a close buddy of his who thought her talent for baking rich desserts might be particularly well-suited for his sweet-toothed friend. It was, and they married in 1955 and were inseparable during the fifty years that followed. Alongside her husband, Mrs. Greenfield enjoyed all that Philadelphia offered for four decades before eventually foregoing their annual winter snowbird migration south and adopting Sarasota as their year-round residence. She moved to Cape Cod nine years ago, leaving Florida's early-bird dinner specials behind, to live near her youngest daughter, her son-in-law and their children. Mrs. Greenfield devoted a great deal of time and attention to a number of civic and philanthropic interests. She contributed her superb strategic planning skills as a Director and Board Secretary at Eagleville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for more than thirty years. In addition, she served on the Board of Directors of the Community Youth Action Drug Council of Eastern Montgomery County, the Cheltenham Township Adult School, and the Cheltenham Art Center. She also served on the Board of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, chairing their annual Flower Show Preview Dinner and Gala, and overseeing the publication of their Green Scene Magazine. Mrs. Greenfield had a lifelong passion for travel. Never one to travel light, she overpacked and embarked with her husband on adventures in Australia, China, Czechoslovakia, East Africa, Ecuador, England, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, Yugoslavia, and beyond, as well as across much of the United States. A photography expedition to the Galapagos Islands and a safari which included a stay at Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park in Kenya were among her most cherished memories. There was never a dull moment when Mrs. Greenfield and her husband brought their children along on their adventures. While with her family on vacation, Mrs. Greenfield slid backwards on her skis down the icy slopes of New Hampshire's Bretton Woods; rode a recalcitrant horse on an overnight pack trip through Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountain Range; leaned backwards over the edge of a castle parapet to kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland; and ran aground while steering a houseboat through the Thousand Islands Archipelago in Ontario. Her greatest joys throughout her life remained her husband and family. She is survived by her four children: Julie Chapin (Tom) of Philadelphia, Gregory Greenfield (Susan) of Atlanta, Elizabeth Martin of Philadelphia, and Margaret Van Sciver of Cape Cod; eleven grandchildren: Alexis Spiegel, Alexander Greenfield, Stephanie Chapin (Moataz Elmahdy), Jeffrey Greenfield (Elizabeth), Benjamin Chapin, Sarah Melnick (Jeffrey), Madeline Chapin (Corey Rosenberg), Han Van Sciver, Rebecca Hunter (Ian), Mariah Van Sciver, and Isabel Martin; and five great-grandchildren: Nora Elmahdy, Bruce Melnick, Ramy Elmahdy, Nora Greenfield, and Maxwell Melnick. Mrs. Greenfield was predeceased by her beloved husband of more than fifty years in 2005, her sister Rita Gerber in 2018, and her son-in-law Harry Van Sciver in 2024. Mrs. Greenfield's family wishes to express their profound appreciation for her exemplary team of Cape Cod caregivers. A private Funeral will be held at Arlington National Cemetery. A Rob Roy cocktail (or two) may be enjoyed in her memory if you are so inclined.