Blanche Beckmann (nee Cooper) born June 26, 1926, died at Bridges in Ithaca, NY on July 17, 2023.
Blanche was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Austrian and Polish immigrants. She was the fourth of five children, all first-generation Americans.
She earned her bachelor’s degree at Brooklyn College. She pursued her Master’s degree at Columbia University, majoring in Rural Sociology. Part of her studies included time spent in Saskatchewan, Canada with migrant workers.
She married Dr. Albert J. Beckmann, a pediatrician, and settled into suburban life in Malvene, Long Island with their 2 daughters Robin and Randi. Widowed at the age of 51, Blanche reinvented herself by moving to New York City where she worked as a property manager overseeing co-ops and rental buildings for 45 years, retiring at the age of 95.
Always wanting to fulfill her wanderlust Blanche made sure to travel extensively. As a volunteer for the Coalition for Soviet Jewry, she visited the Soviet Union and made lifelong friends with many Soviet Jews who later emigrated to Israel and the U.S.
Blanche is survived by her daughters Robin Brody (Arthur Brody) Randi Beckmann (John Hoffmann), 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Blanche simply wanted to be remembered as having been a good friend.
Donations in Blanche’s memory can be made to :
PLANNED PARENTHOOD or
PARTNERS IN HEALTH
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