Joseph Benjamin Braunstein, age 97, of Dayton, passed away April 5. He was born Jan. 14, 1917 in Cincinnati and moved to Dayton shortly thereafter. Mr. Braunstein was preceded in death by his parents, Nathan and Esther Braunstein, sister, Bette Getline, and stepson, Thomas May. Mr. Braunstein is survived by his wife, Janice, sons, Jeffrey (Clara) Braunstein, Larry (Lynn) Branton, Michael (Mannetta) Braunstein, daughter Beth Braunstein, stepson Jeffrey (Valerie) May; stepdaughters Sharon (Robert) Stettner, Sheryl (Larry) Purcell, stepdaughter-in-law Laura May; four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, eight step grandchildren and three step great-grandchildren. Mr. Braunstein was a member of Temple Israel and a charter member of Temple Israel Brotherhood. Before retiring in 1987, he was the owner of The Braunstein Insurance Agency Inc. Mr. Braunstein was an avid lover of the arts and was a member of The Dayton Art Institute and a longtime attendee of the Dayton Philharmonic. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Ave. Dayton, OH 45420, or the charity of your choice.

Robert K. “Bob” Emoff, age 81, of Dayton, passed away April 3 at Hospice of Dayton. Mr. Emoff was the CEO of Emoff’s Furniture, a member of Temple Israel, a graduate of Northwestern University and was honorably discharged as a lieutenant from the U.S. Navy after four years of service. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lester and Marjorie Jane Emoff. Mr. Emoff is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Todd Emoff, Michael and Anita Emoff, Tom Emoff, Mitchell and Kelly Emoff; grandchildren, Caroline, Katherine, Daniel, Brent, Cole, Grant, Adam, Victoria, Alexandra, Thomas, Courtney, Hope and Paige Emoff; and many other relatives and friends. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. Donations may be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

H. Marvin Felman, age 88, of Dayton, passed away March 28. Mr. Felman was born Oct. 12, 1925 in Detroit to David and Eva Felman, who preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his wife of 40 years, Edith Mayer Felman, and his sister, Esther Acker. Mr. Felman is survived by his wife of 20 years, Carol Denmark Felman, his daughters Judith Felman, Jan Felman and her husband Harvey Schwartz, Jyl Lynn Felman and her spouse, Lynne S. Brandon, grandson, Eric Felman Schwartz, stepchildren, Dr. Scot Denmark and his wife Linda Denmark, Lisa Denmark and her husband Dan Flanagan, Dinah Denmark and her wife Alice Greene. Mr. Felman was a graduate of Fairview High School, The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in history and his law degree from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and attended flight preparatory school. After graduating from college, Mr. Felman took over his father’s parking and real estate business in downtown Dayton. He believed in downtown Dayton and was devoted to its future through developing properties which would attract other businesses. Mr. Felman also maintained a general law practice with emphasis on real estate. He was a voracious reader, enjoyed drawing, playing the piano as well as watching and playing sports. Mr. Felman was committed to his family and his faith. Interment was at Beth Abraham Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Beth Abraham Synagogue or the charity of your choice.

Phyllis Heider, age 86, of Hallandale, Fla., formerly of Dayton, passed away April 4. Mrs. Heider was born Fela Kleiner, in Sosnowiec, Poland to parents Moishe and Liba Kleiner on Dec. 7, 1927. Liba saved Fela from being sent to Auschwitz, first by saying Fela was older than she was, and then when Liba entrusted Fela to the care of a Polish woman named Mrs. Pachowa, who hid Fela in a concentration camp, under her supervision. Fela cried and resented her mother, not knowing this would be her best chance for survival. Mrs. Pachowa hid Fela in a large kettle in the camp kitchen. The SS discovered Fela and were going to send her to Auschwitz but Mrs. Pachowa asked to have Fela sent instead to Bergen-Belsen, where Fela was ultimately liberated in 1945. About the same time, her future husband, Sam Heider, was liberated at Dachau. He was sent to a DP camp at Landsberg am Lech, Germany. Sam learned that young Jewish women were at Bergen-Belsen and went there for a dance, where he met Fela. Af first, he asked her in Yiddish if she would like to dance. She didn’t understand Yiddish so he asked her in Polish. She told him she didn’t know how to dance. Sam replied, “Don’t worry. I don’t know either.” A year later, they were married in the DP camp at Landsberg. Shortly thereafter, the couple immigrated to America with their son, Morris, and settled in Dayton. While in Dayton, Mrs. Heider began searching for her sister Frania, knowing only that she had escaped to Russia during the war. After years of searching, during a Chanukah party in Cincinnati for Holocaust survivors, a friend from Mrs. Heider’s childhood in Sosnowiec, Poland told Mrs. Heider of a woman she met in Israel who also originated from Sosnowiec, named Frania Kleiner. After 36 years, the two sisters were reunited. Mrs. Heider is survived by her beloved husband of 68 years, Sam; three children and spouses, Morris Heider and Kathy LeGrand-Heider, Linda and Larry Richards, and Sharon Heider; grandchildren Lea, Matthew and Mason Richards, Max and Mallory Green, Kelly and Molly Weiner. Interment was at Beth Jacob Cemetery. If desired, memorial contributions may be made in Mrs. Heider’s memory to The Holocaust Education Fund, c/o Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, 525 Versailles Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45459.

Doris Tolpen died Nov. 15. Mrs. Tolpen and her husband, Herb, moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 10 years ago. They were married for 60 years. Mrs. Tolpen was born Nov. 3, 1934. She was a 1952 graduate of Fairview High School in Dayton. She is survived by her husband, Herb; son Farley Tolpen of Australia, daughter Maxine Marshall of London, England, and Dr. Anthony Tolpen of Irvine, Calif. During her years in San Miguel, she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of both the Mexican and foreign communities. Mrs. Tolpen was a member of Ohav Shalom Synagogue and was active with the Mid Day Rotary, Shalom San Miguel, and served on the board of the Red Cross Auxiliary and the executive committee of Democrats Abroad. The Tolpens were among the founding members of San Miguel Democrats Abroad. She was also the first person from San Miguel to serve in the national office of Mexico Democrats Abroad. As national vice chair, Mrs. Tolpen represented Mexico at important international conferences of Democrats Abroad in Vancouver, Canada and Heidelberg, Germany.

To read the complete May 2014 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.