Florence Shirley Kaplan

Virginia Beach, Va. - Florence Shirley Kaplan, formerly of East Lyme, died Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008, at Lake Taylor Transitional Hospital, Norfolk, Va.

Born July 20, 1924, in Bridgeport, she was the daughter of Leon and Bertha (Their) Kobrofsky.

She married Edward Kaplan on Nov. 11, 1952, in Bridgeport. Mr. Kaplan died Sept. 29, 1994.

Florence worked as a dental hygienist for Dr. Castanza and later worked as an administrative assistant for the Bureau of Business Practice.

She enjoyed the simple things in life, like going to lunch or browsing in the stores with her friends. She loved to spend time with her grandchildren, including going to lunch or shopping with them and her daughter. She loved her mystery books, senior citizen bus trips, and her frequent lobster dinners. She was a generous woman with a heart of gold, the kind of person that is hard to find in this day and age. She always had a smile and a laugh wherever she went. She always put herself last and everyone else ahead of her. She was the best mother and grandmother a person could have and will be missed by all of those whose lives she touched.

She is survived by her daughter, Leona Harkins and her husband, Christopher, along with her three grandchildren, Brittany, Dylan, and Bailey, all of Chesapeake, Va. She is also survived by her niece, Barbara Green and her husband, David, who reside in Hamden.

Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 12 Ocean Ave., New London. Interment will follow in New London Sick Benefit Cemetery, Chesterfield.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago IL 60601.

For directions, obituary information, to sign the family's online register book or to send an online condolence, please visit www.neilanfuneralhome.com.