By Carmine Santa Maria
Rochelle Schatzman, beloved wife of Sid Schatzman, community activist, devoted mother of Lance and Craig, grandmother of Joshua and Jeffrey and daughter of Edith Dornfest succumbed to severe illness at Maimonides Medical Center on February 15 after a week-long struggle. Services were held at the Parkside Memorial Chapel, 2596 Flatbush Ave, following internment at Cedar Park Cemetery in New Jersey. Rochelle worked as a Paraprofessional with Pre-K-kids until her retirement three years ago from PS 212. Her own boys Lance and Craig had gone to the PS 212 Lady Deborah Moody School and she was active with the PTA’s Executive Board, until they graduated. Lance became a teacher at PS 329 and married Angie, a Para at the same school, who bore him a son Joshua. Angie’s children from a former marriage Ashley, Justine and Jasmine became his own. His younger brother Craig is an attorney in the Brooklyn Court system who married Lisa a counselor in a Staten Island medical facility, Lisa bore a son, Jeffrey giving Rochelle and Sid Schatzman a total of 5 grandchildren to love. She babysat four days a week for her boy’s boys Joshua and Jeffery and whenever needed, giving them the same excellent care and devotion she gave their fathers, plus the ultimate joy and love of a proud grand mother. She embraced her daughters-in-law as the daughters she never had, and considered it a bonus to also be a grandmother to Ashley, Justine and Jasmine. The adage “behind a great man is a great woman” is very true in the Schatzman’s case. Sid and Rochelle were the ideal loving couple and were soon to celebrate their 40th Anniversary together. Sid is on the Board of Directors of his co-op Harway Terrace and on the Executive Board of the United Progressive Democratic Club, as well as active in many community issues and affairs. Rochelle was 64 years old when was she taken from her beautiful family; who requested that any donations to her memory, be made to the American Cancer Society.
