MONROE TOWNSHIP… Arlene Berger, born May 12, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, died Wednesday, June 21 at the age of 87. Arlene is pre-deceased by her mother and father, Daisy and Harry Lewis and her sisters, Rose Berg and Sylvia Robbins. She grew up in Richmond Hill, New York and attended Queens College. On a beach in Far Rockaway she met the love of her life, Harold Berger and they married on June 16, 1951.
When her children were school age, Arlene went back to school and received both her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Master’s degree in Special Education from Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey). She worked as a special education teacher in the Hamilton School District for 22 years. She loved working with her students and inspired them each day to achieve their dreams. She volunteered at Greenwood House, became a Life-Member of Hadassah and was an active member in Brothers of Israel Sisterhood. Always close to her Jewish heritage, she chose to become a Bat Mitzvah at Beit Shalom Synagogue in Monroe Township at the age of 77.
Her greatest enjoyment was spending time with her family, including her beloved husband of 66 Years, Harold Berger; her children, Sheryl and Joseph Punia, James and Michelle Berger, and Lawrence and Fern Berger; her grandchildren Elyse and Andrew Rosenfield, Charlie Punia, Grant Berger, Jarod Berger, Alexis Berger, and Ryan Berger. In May she was thrilled to welcome her first great grandson, Sebastian Rosenfield.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, June 25 at 2:00 pm at the Jewish Center, 435 Nassau Street, Princeton. Burial will follow at Floral Park Cemetery in Deans. The period of mourning will be observed Sunday and Monday evenings at the Punia residence in Princeton. Memorial contributions can be made to Greenwood House, 53 Walter Street, Ewing, NJ 08628 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.