Shirley Greenfield

1927 – 2022

Shirley (Segal) Greenfield, of Lawrenceville, NJ passed away on February 10, 2022. She was 94.

Shirley was a woman ahead of her time. Born September 24, 1927, in Newark NJ, she was the youngest of four children of immigrant parents. She graduated from Weequahic High school at age 17, followed four years later by graduation from Montclair State College (now Montclair State University) with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and science, well before the encouragement of STEM fields for girls and women. She began teaching high school math and chemistry when she was not much older than her students.

She met her future husband at a Connecticut resort. As a sheltered girl from Newark, she did not know anything about being a waitress or the English (rather than Yiddish) names of foods she was serving. A younger, by 14 months, waiter took her under his wing to show her the ropes. By the end of the summer, Aaron Greenfield proposed marriage and she laughed in response. They were married in Newark on June 25, 1950.

She continued teaching until her first pregnancy, resigning being forced out at a time when pregnant women were not allowed to teach. In 1955, a time when some women smoked and drank their way through pregnancy, this pregnant scientist understood the value and importance of prenatal care and a healthy diet to support both herself and her baby.

She and Aaron moved to Paramus NJ in 1955 where they raised four children, all knowing to “eat the protein of the meal,” and not “fill up on bread” when at a restaurant. They, along with many friends, founded the Jewish Community Center of Paramus and remained involved in its leadership until Aaron’s death in 1996.

After 11 years at home with her children, Shirley chose to return to teaching, this time with elementary aged special education students rather than high school. She felt lucky to have four healthy children and wanted to help families who were not “as lucky”, as she phrased it. She earned a master’s degree from Kean College in 1966 and began teaching in the Wycoff NJ school system. While there, she also helped develop curriculum and materials for special education students throughout New Jersey. She earned a second master’s degree in in 1974 followed by a Doctor of Education degree in 1981, both from Teachers College at Columbia University. She was then an adjunct professor at Long Island University’s Westchester Campus. Aaron was her biggest supporter and cheerleader during these years of teaching, schoolwork, and raising their children.

Shirley is predeceased by her husband and love of her life, Aaron Greenfield, parents Aaron Segal and Lucy Segal Bernstein, siblings Dorothy Gabriner, Carol Grebelsky, and Harvey Segal. She is survived by her children Paul Greenfield of Lawrenceville NJ, Carol Greenfield-Dubin and Israel Dubin of Ewing NJ, Daniel and Donna Greenfield of Santa Rosa CA, and Miriam and James Baumgartner of Lancaster PA along with her beloved grandchildren Jay, Naomi and Jesse Dubin and Aliyah and Jacob Greenfield.

A graveside funeral service will be held Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 12:30 PM at Riverside Cemetery, 12 Market St. Saddle Brook, NJ. Shiva will be observed in Ewing NJ and Lancaster PA.

Donations in Shirley’s memory may be made to Adath Israel Congregation in Lawrenceville NJ at https://www.adathisraelnj.org/donate/, The Bridge Academy, a private school teaching the current generation of students with educational learning disabilities, also in Lawrenceville, at https://bridgeacademynj.org/support-us/, or the Gilat Zikkaron Fund at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim 75 E James St, Lancaster PA 17602 or online at shaarai.org/giving.