Ethel preferred her middle name and was known to her friends as Lena. Life left her while in the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Woodland Hills, CA on February 2, 2017, at the age of 97. She was born in Rome, Georgia on May 18, 1919 to Fanny and Marks Levy. Lena survived her 3 brothers: Lazarus, Isadore, and Joseph.

Lena put her own life on hold for 10 years while she cared for her homebound and bedridden parents in Rome Georgia.

Lena moved to Los Angeles in 1957 where she obtained a job with Los Angeles County where she worked for 25 years until her retirement. She started as a general typist and advanced to a very responsible position in the accounting department. Lena’s whole life embodied caring for people. In Los Angeles she lived with cared for her brothers Isadore and Joseph when they needed her. She cared!

Lena was a member of Temple Beth Zion, Los Angeles, for many years before moving to the Jewish Home, Reseda, CA. She was a member and treasurer of the Hickory Outdoor Club enjoying many camping trips, and a volunteer with the Volunteers for Israel. In addition to working in the office in Los Angeles Lena participated in working tours to Israel. In addition to volunteering Lena enjoyed traveling very much. She undertook many trips around the United States and to Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, England and Israel.

Lena very generously supported many charities including: Hadassah, the Jewish Home, Ben Gurion and Tel Aviv Universities, Jewish National Fund , the Weitzman Institute and the American Society for Technion to name a few. She established a good model for us to follow.

We will miss Lena’s broad smile, her humor, her compassion for others, and above all her love, which she shared generously.

Donations can be made in Ethel’s name to Hadassah or the Jewish Home for the Aging.