Obituary for Deborah Jurkowitz Deborah Jurkowitz, beloved mother and wife, doting dog owner and literature-loving editor and teacher, died on Dec. 2 at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. She was 62 and resided in Pleasantville, NY. Combining all of her passions, those closest to her say Deb’s ideal day would have been spent with her husband and three sons relaxing on a couch in Martha’s Vineyard with a good book and a happy dog. She leaves behind her husband Bruce, a psychotherapist, and three sons: Jake, an architect; Cody, a writer; and Jesse, a musician. In addition, she is survived by her Coton, Jack, the successor pet to her Tibetan Terrier, Aly. Deb will also be missed, and her life celebrated, by many devoted friends and relatives. During the course of a lengthy and challenging illness, Deb’s essential strength, spirit, humor and sweetness remained undimmed. And up to the last days of her life, she continued doing what she loved best. In recent years, she worked at LitWorld, where she was the coordinator of the Family Story Power Project, and most recently at Children’s Village and Spoken Interludes, imparting her love of reading and writing to children in underserved communities in Westchester County. She also ran writers’ workshops at residential treatment centers for foster children, prisoners, and students in the neighborhood — often out of her home office in Dobbs Ferry. Parlaying her lifelong devotion to literature into a successful career in that industry, she worked as a literary agent and a book editor at Little Brown and Company, Fodor’s Travel and Avon Books. She was also a story analyst at The Samuel Goldwyn Company and The Zanuck Company. A native of Scranton, PA and alum of Scranton Central High School where she participated on the school’s speechwriting team, Deb graduated summa cum laude with a Political Science degree from Tufts University in 1978. There she was also a member of the prestigious honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. In 1980, she married her high school sweetheart, Bruce Brotter, in a ceremony performed at Temple Israel in Scranton. The couple raised their family in the New York area, living in Manhattan and Dobbs Ferry before ultimately moving to Pleasantville. In addition to her husband and children, Deb leaves behind her mother, Gloria Jurkowitz, a brother Mark, and a daughter-in-law, Loryn Brantz. Her father, Monroe Jurkowitz, passed away in 2009. Following a service on Dec. 4, the family will be observing Shiva at Deb’s home at 33 Brookside, Place, Pleasantville, NY on Dec. 4 and 5 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. That will be followed by a Shiva observance at the home of Gloria Jurkowitz, 550 Clay Ave., Apt. 8A, Scranton, PA. Visitors can call there on Dec. 6 from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., Dec. 8 from 7-9 p.m. and Dec. 9 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Deborah Jurkowitz please visit our Sympathy Store. Upcoming Events Gathering © Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap Get Driving Directions DEC 4. 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Edwards – Dowdle Funeral Home 64 Ashford Avenue Dobbs Ferry, NY, US, 10522 info@edwardsdowdle.com www.edwardsanddowdle.com Order Flowers for the Gathering Guaranteed delivery before Deborah’s Gathering begins. Service © Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap Get Driving Directions DEC 4. 12:00 PM Edwards – Dowdle Funeral Home 64 Ashford Avenue Dobbs Ferry, NY, US, 10522 info@edwardsdowdle.com www.edwardsanddowdle.com Order Flowers for the Service Guaranteed delivery before Deborah’s Service begins. Cemetery Details Mount Hope Cemetery 50 Jackson Ave Hastings-On-Hudson, NY, 10706 mounthopecemetery.com/ © Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap Get Driving Directions
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Deborah Jurkowitz December 2 2018.
Edwards-Dowdle Funeral Home Inc
Death notice for the town of: Dobbs Ferry, state: New York