Rhoda Greifer's Obituary
Rhoda (Gold) Greifer
1935 - 2023
Rhoda Greifer, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, artist, dog whisperer and green thumb gardener died peacefully on March 10.
She is survived by her sons, David and Steve Greifer, Steve's wife Jennie. and her two grandchildren, Daniel and Carolyn, as well as her sisters, Selma Raisen and Phyllis “Cookie” Leibowitz, and Phyllis’ husband Hank.
Rhoda was born on April 17, 1935 to Morris and Mollie Gold, and lived in Brooklyn until the family moved to the Bronx in 1942. She met her life-long friend Lenny Fortunoff and, together, they got into “good trouble” as teenage girls do! In the early ‘50s, the family bought a bungalow in northern Westchester County in the town of Shenorock, NY.
Rhoda attended the Bronx High School of Science, where she showed her academic chops. Her aspirations to go to college to further exploit her curiosity in science were stymied by the now outdated views on women and college.
Rhoda met her husband Max when she was a young customer in his pharmacy. They were soon married; she was 19 and Max was 30. Motherhood and career followed. They were married 50 years when Max died at 79.
Max and Rhoda began newlywed life in NYC, but Rhoda yearned for a suburban life - house, yard, fresh air, dog and garden. She and my dad saved and eventually bought a split level in Suffern, NY in 1967 (or 8?). Sounds cliché, but all of those dreams came true. While Max ran the pharmacy, Rhoda began working for the pharmaceutical company Ciba Geigy.
Rhoda was a trailblazer, becoming an early woman scientist after completing her associate’s degree at City College. Her combination as a strong nurturer and astute scientist guided her young team members in the Novartis (nee Geigy) lab for the entirety of her career.
Rhoda embodied the working mother’s challenge to “do it all” - to find that now common “work-life balance” before it was even a phrase. She spent her time taking care of Steve, David and Max while she worked a full time job, always with an eye on a better future for her entire family. She was involved in the kids’ schooling and education, and very supportive of their efforts, from Cub Scouts, where she was a Den mother, to making music lessons for Steve possible.
Both parents worked hard to save for retirement. Rhoda, being the savvy “savings scientist,” made this possible. They retired to Delray Beach, FL 30 years ago, living in Emerald Pointe and enjoyed Delray and the surrounding areas. Max and Rhoda became snowbirds. They spent winters in Delray, and summers near their grandkids in Wayne, NJ.
Some years after Max died and the grandchildren grew up, Rhoda sold the condo in New Jersey and bought a place at Edgewater at Boca Pointe, Boca Raton where she lived independently until the end of December 2022.
Rhoda was a talented, award-winning artist. Her mediums ranged from pastel to watercolor. She was President of Delray Beach’s Women in the Visual Arts and was still actively painting when she passed
away. She was an amazing teacher as well, sharing her gifts with her granddaughter, Carolyn, and many others who were lucky enough to learn from her.
The same was true of her gardening. She nurtured a garden in every place she ever lived. Her homes were surrounded by trees filled with thriving orchid plants that she introduced to the trees. Gardens were abundant with corn, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers.
Rhoda was perhaps best known for her signature high energy and positive outlook on life. She was a force with a true joie de vie. She was a gym rat like few other octogenarians spending time working out and promoting the positive benefits for exercise! Adversities in life, big and small, rarely slowed her down.
That positive energy and her nurturing soul carried over into a mutual love of dogs and cats. A dog whisperer and caretaker for a stray cat, Oreo, there wasn’t a furry friend she didn’t love and vice versa.
Rhoda was also a true passionate lover of nature in all of its forms. She spent as much time as she could outdoors, whether hiking, gardening, or giving neighborhood dogs treats.
Most importantly, Rhoda devoted her life to the people she loved. She was a giver in the truest sense, wanting more for others than herself. She touched people in a special, empathic way. She was especially devoted to Max, watching over his health much more diligently than he did. She was a proud mother and grandmother, and always saw the bright side of things.
During a recent setback where she was unconscious for many hours, she told us that “it is easy to crossover.” Rhoda died peacefully and, in the end, seemed comfortable to let go when there was no path forward.
A comforting thought.
A chapel service will be held on Monday, March 13th at 1:00 pm at Beth Israel Memorial Chapel, 11115 Jog Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33437, followed by interment at Eternal Light Memorial Garden, 11520 State Road 7, Boynton Beach, FL 33473. Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan will officiate.
What’s your fondest memory of Rhoda?
What’s a lesson you learned from Rhoda?
Share a story where Rhoda's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Rhoda you’ll never forget.
How did Rhoda make you smile?
