Alva Susan Mendels Herr's Obituary
Alva Susan Mendels HerrJuly 15, 1940 ' May 8, 2009 Daughter of the late David ('Dudley') Nathaniel Mendels and Sarah Rachel Mendelsohn Mendels, both of Montreal, Alva is survived by her sister Louisa Margaret Mendels of Montreal and New York; her husband Robert C. Herr, of Berkeley, CA, and her son David C. Herr, of El Cerrito, CA; her brother and sister in law Richard and Eugenia Herr of Navarro, CA; her nephew John Herr of San Anselmo, CA, and grandnieces Jackie and Shannon; and her niece Serena Herr, of San Anselmo, CA, and grandnephew Ryan and grandniece Annika. Great friend to Irene Davis, of Vallejo, CA, and Mrs. Davis' daughter Sonja Nelson of Oakland, CA; Carlos Privat and his entire family, of Oakland and San Francisco, CA; Barbara Kernan of Maryland; and the late Earline Aitkens, of New Orleans and Berkeley. Alva was raised in Montreal, Canada, and obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in Massachusetts and her Master’s Degree of Library Science from the School of Librarianship at UC Berkeley, where she met her husband. A resident of Berkeley, CA for over 40 years, she loved opera, ballet, music (especially Elton John), the arts, her wonderful garden, and the cats and rabbits taken in by her son and his girlfriend, Rachel Post. A self-taught expert on finance, she foresaw the current economic meltdown years ago. She was devoted to her family, and they to her. At the decedent's request, there will be no services. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to do so may send a contribution in her memory to the following charities: Disabled American Veterans, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250, ORThe Canadian National Federation for the Blind, 1929 Bayview Ave., Toronto, ON M4G 3E8, Canada
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