SHIRLEY BERMAN COLE

SHIRLEY BERMAN COLE August 20, 2015 Shirley Berman Cole
Shirley Berman Cole died peacefully of natural causes at the age of 93 at her home in Laguna Hills, California August 20, 2015 comforted by her middle son Dr. James Berman.

Shirley Berman Cole was born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania in 1922 to Jacob and Frances Hurwitz.

Shirley grew up in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, a small coal mining town of 1,500 people. Life was hard during this time and she would see young boys in her class leave school to work in the mines crawling into narrow shafts to place dynamite. She was the only Jewish student in her school. She recognized the poverty and difficulties facing the families of these Polish miners and always showed a great deal of empathy and kindness for her community as well as others in similar circumstances. The resiliency she developed during this time would later serve her well in raising 3 sons following the premature death of her husband, Sydney Berman, in 1965, when he was only 49 years old.

Shirley dreamed of becoming an actress and a star but instead she was forced to attend podiatry school at Temple University by her father who owned a small shoe store in Plymouth called the Peoples Shoe Store. She never practiced podiatry. After marrying and waiting for her 3 sons, Steve, Jim and Ed, to enter school, she began doing book readings and performing her own comedy routines for women's groups in Wyoming Valley. Her talent was recognized and she was signed by an agency that handled performers for women's organizations throughout the east coast. Shirley was probably best known in Wyoming Valley for her one women show of "Hello Dolly" with Sylvia Valen playing piano.
Shirley was dealt a cruel blow by the flood of 1972. She had just closed selling her house on Westmoreland Avenue in Kingston. All her personal belongings had been packed and placed in the front living room ready to be shipped to her new home in Florida. She got the call to evacuate. Returning 10 days later she found that more than 10 feet of flood water had destroyed all her memories: pictures, yearbooks, and letters. But resiliency and kindness would prevail. She canceled the sale and went on to build a new life in Hallandale Beach, Florida. In Florida her engaging personality and humor gathered a large number of great friends and admirers. Morton Cole persuaded her to marry again and they had many wonderful years together before he passed away. Shirley later moved to the Wellington in Laguna Hills California, an assisted living community, where she found a whole new group of wonderful friends.

Shirley's greatest accomplishment was raising her 3 sons as a single mother. Given her feelings about being forced to attend Temple University, it seemed just that all 3 would go to Temple University School of Medicine. Steve is a pediatrician at the University of Colorado, Jim recently retired from his practice of Internal Medicine in Irvine California, and Ed is a neonatologist and the pediatric medical director of a Colorado health plan that serves low income families. She instilled her values in her sons and their grandchildren; integrity, fairness, compassion and G'milut Hasadim (acts of loving kindness) and the resiliency and drive to work hard to achieve one's dream. In her 80's Shirley did a video of her life that was beautifully made by her niece Sharon Eliashar Hurwitz. She ended the video by saying: "When I am no longer with you, this video will leave with you some knowledge of those that came before you. I thank Steve Jim and Ed for finally making me a star, a real star. If the lord comes back to me and says, Shirley what would you like, I would like to go back and do it all over again the same way."

Shirley Berman Cole was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob and Frances Hurwitz, her siblings, Seymour and Roslyn Hurwitz, her first husband Sydney Berman and her second husband Morton Cole.

Shirley Berman Cole is survived by her brother Joseph Hurwitz, her sons, Stephen Berman, James Berman, and Edward Berman; her daughter in laws Elaine Berman, Nina Berman, Natalie Berman; her grand children, Seth Berman, Benjamin Berman, Talia Goldstein, Jonathan Berman, Danielle Berman, Aaron Berman, and Lia Berman, and her great grand children Max Goldstein and Isis Sidney Berman.

The funeral service will take place 2 PM Wednesday August 26, 2015 at the Rosenberg Funeral Chapel, 348 South River St. Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania, with the burial at the Temple Israel Cemetery, 218 Dennison St, Swoyersville, PA.

The family requests that no flowers or donations are made.

Shiva will be observed at the Woodlands Inn and Resort, Highway 315, Wilkes-Barre, Wednesday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

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