In Memory
Leah R.(Coffman) Silver
March 11, 1930 - Oct. 2, 2017
SOUTH BEND - Leah Coffman Silver died at home in South Bend on Monday morning. She was born in South Bend to Sam and Olia Coffman. She graduated from Riley High School, earned her bachelor's degree in three years from Indiana University-Bloomington, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and majored in French and English. Subsequently, she graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Notre Dame.
Leah met Neil Silver, her future husband, when she was 13 years old, and thus began a loving partnership that continued until Neil's death in 2015. Leah was devoted to her family and was the beloved matriarch, having survived her older brothers and sister. She is survived by her daughters, Pamela Silver Rubenstein and Carole Silver (John O'Hare); grandchildren, Alec Rubenstein (Melissa), Rachele O'Hare (Steve MacDonald) and Suzanna O'Hare; great-grandchildren, Lillian and Madison Rubenstein and Brooklyn Lykes; many nieces, nephews, great- and great-great nieces, nephews and cousins. Leah loved keeping in touch with each member of her extended family, including remembering their birthdays, anniversaries and other milestone events.
Leah worked as a high school teacher for much of her adult life, and later as a business owner. She began teaching in the early 1960s and eventually was the head of foreign languages at Penn High School, where she taught French. She was a firm believer in the value of education and a beloved teacher and kept in touch with former students throughout her life. After retiring from teaching in 1980, she was in the forefront of the information technology revolution, first learning and then teaching others how and why to use computers. Later, she started and ran her own educational software business.
Leah loved traveling with Neil, and together they immersed themselves in the local culture of the places they visited, including trips to Asia, the Middle East and Europe, with repeated trips to France. She was an avid reader, a wonderful story-teller and an empathetic listener. She loved spending time with her friends and relished lifelong friendships.
Funeral services will be on Wednesday (Today) at 2:00 pm at Temple Beth El, Rabbi Karen Companez officiating. Burial will follow at Hebrew Orthodox Cemetery, Mishawaka.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Leah's memory may be made to the Neil and Leah Silver Advanced Degree Scholarship Fund at the Jewish Federation of St Joseph Valley, 3202 Shalom Way, South Bend, IN 46615; or to another charity of choice. To send condolences to the family log on to: www.McGannHay.com.
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