Gertrude Fodiman's Obituary
Gertrude Fodiman, 89, of Fort Myers, Florida, died at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers on October 14, 2014. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Morris and Estelle (Levitz) Cohen. Her lifelong love Morris preceded her in death. She met her husband while they were in high school and married in 1944 before he was shipped overseas during WWII. They moved to Miami, Florida in 1955, where they raised their daughters Elaine (John) Horwitz and Francine (Steven) King. Gertrude is survived by her daughters and her grandchildren Jennifer (Christopher) Peltz-Schaff of Chicago, and Joshua and Jessica of West Palm Beach, Florida. She is also survived by three great-grandchildren, Harper, Truman, and Silas Peltz-Schaff. Brothers Neiland Cohen of Milwaukee and Harvey (Yolanda) Cohen of Charlotte, North Carolina will miss their older sister. Her brother Albert Cohen preceded her in death. She was very close to her nieces and nephews who will also miss her.Gertrude dedicated herself to family, friends, and career. Family was always first. She was devoted to her children. When her sisters-in-law moved to Florida, Gertrude was delighted to once again have their close companionship. Gertrude made friends wherever she lived and maintained those friendships throughout the years.She was a valued civil servant at the Dade County School District, the City of Miami Police Department, and the City of Miami Fire Department, earning many awards and accolades, including “Employee of the Year.” She was recruited to join one of her Miami bosses when he took over the Hallandale Fire Department because he needed her meticulous skills and thorough attention to detail. Gertrude always had to keep busy, so even after she retired from full time work, she worked part time and later volunteered many hours each week for senior citizens organizations and hospitals in Fort Myers.She beat breast cancer and lymphoma but they left their toll. Her legacy is her family, who witnessed Gertrude’s fortitude and determination to see her loved ones happy and secure.Graveside services will be held in Miami at 2:00 PM on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at Greater Miami Jewish Cemetery – Mount Sinai Memorial Park, 1125 NW 137th Street, Miami, Florida 33168, (305) 681-4432. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Gerturde’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association of Lee County, 9220 Bonita Beach Road #223, Bonita Springs, FL 34135
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