Wolf "Bill" Haberman

Wolf “Bill” Haberman (Feb. 1, 1932 – Oct. 26, 2025) grew up in Long Beach, NY with his mother, Flora (Anenberg) Haberman and sister, Rica Haberman. His father, Herman Haberman lived on Manhattan. He graduated early from Long Beach High at age 17, having participated in gymnastics, wrestling, track and marching band.

After graduating high school early, Bill set his sights on his future, moving to Cambridge for college and using his intellect and strength of character to build the life he wanted -- one that was filled with family, adventure, making a difference in his world, and a rewarding career.

Bill met his wife of 72 years, Berna (Bernstein) Haberman, in 1953 at the end of his senior year at MIT. It was love at first date, and they married in October of that same year. Since he wanted a large family, he made her promise to have four children. Bill and Berna did welcome four children into their world and later, welcomed their spouses: David and Demi (Mendivil) Haberman of Livermore, CA; Steven and Becca (Powers) Haberman of Spencer, MA; Robert (deceased) and Susan (Goldstein) Haberman of Framingham, MA; and Lyn (Haberman) and Brian Branscomb of Hopkinton, MA; and Maureen (Cronin) Haberman (deceased). As the family grew, the Habermans welcomed 10 grandchildren and later their partners into their lives plus seven great-grandchildren. Knowing the importance of family, Bill considered his immediate family to include his sister-in-law and her husband, Rona (Bernstein) and Myron (deceased) Solberg of New Brunswick, NJ and their children and partners, Sara (Solberg) and Stuart Levine, Julie Solberg and Ted Chandler, and Laurence and Lauren (Shniderman) Solberg, and their children and grandchildren. Also important to Bill were his brother-in-law, Barton Bernstein (deceased) of Dallas, Texas and his children, Talya (Bernstein) and Misha Galaganov, and Alon and Danelle (Pavelka) Bernstein, and their children.

One of his greatest pleasures was hosting the Jewish holidays with family and extended family and watching the family gather at both minor and major life events. The family brought him love and joy.

What also brought him joy in life was continued learning and adventure. Bill and Berna traveled throughout the United States and Europe. They also traveled to Russia, China, India, Israel, and South America. In all of these places, they sought to learn about the people and the culture, and the history of the Jews in those lands. He passed on this desire to travel and learn to his children as the family visited places from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Smokey Mountains to Alaska and abroad.

The love of adventure came to Bill early in life. He learned to sail on the Charles River and then taught his children on Lake Cochituate in Massachusetts and Sebago Lake in Maine. He also taught his children to ski, delighting as each conquered the expert slopes. The family camped for most of their travels, up and down the east coast and across country from Seattle to Boston, with a favorite spot being Sebago Lake State Park in Maine where family members still take their annual vacation. Bill also entertained the children taking them on rollercoasters and through amusement parks. In New England, while traveling, they often spelunked through caves and tromped through mountain streams and rivers, finding natural water slides, especially along the Kancamagus Highway.

Not only did Bill teach his children a love of travel, learning and adventure, he also taught them the importance of being part of the community role-modeling through his own community service. First elected to Framingham Town Meeting in 1960, he served the town in varying capacities until 2017. He served as the commissioner of public works for 6 years, was appointed to the Public Works Standing Committee for 13 years, and the Government Study Committee for 23 years. Town Meeting members said of Bill, that when he spoke, people listened, as they found him to be fair and the voice of reason.

Bill also served on the board of Temple Beth Shalom when it was in its infancy and on the board that formed Clearbrook Swim Club, now part of Metrowest YMCA.

Serving the community with integrity was part of his moral code. He brought that same moral code to his career as an engineer. After graduating from MIT in 1953 with a degree in aeronautical engineering, Bill served in the Air Force for two years. Returning with his wife to the Boston area and settling in Framingham. Bill returned to MIT and earned his master’s degree. He then worked for RCA before focusing his career goals at Mitre Corporation where he worked for 30 years creating communication and security systems, most notably for Boeing’s AWACS planes. After retiring from Mitre, Hanscomb Air Force Base sought out his expertise and hired him as a consultant. He retired completely at age 73.

At the end of his life, Bill said he lived a full life, better than he ever imagined. He raised a loving family that loved and respected him, traveled the world, contributed to the community, and realized a fulfilling career.

May his memory be a blessing.

His funeral service at the Pickering & Son Westborough Funeral Home, 62 West Main St, Westborough, Mass. will be on Wednesday, October 29 at 11am. Burial will follow at the Temple Beth El Cemetery at 4515 N Main St, Fall River, MA.

Shiva at the Branscomb family home following the burial through 6pm, and continuing Thursday from 1 to 5pm and 6 to 8pm with a service at 7pm, Friday from 12 to 3pm, and Saturday from 12 to 3pm.

For those unfamiliar with Jewish culture, services and funerals are typically held in quick succession with no real interaction with the family. This is followed by shiva. Shiva is the more relaxed time to visit with the family and pay your respects.

In honor of Bill's life, please feel free to make a donation to either Daniel's Table, 56 Park Street, Framingham, MA 01702, online via www.danielstable.org or to the Haberman-Williams MaMHCA Scholarship Fund,17 Cocasset St., Suites 301 & 302, Foxborough, MA 02035 online via www.fs23.formsite.com/MWMaMHCA.