Cecile Plotkin

WORCESTER - Cecile Plotkin passed away on June 20, 2022 in Ithaca, NY just weeks from her 93rd birthday.
Born in Worcester, MA in 1929, Cecile was the daughter of Russian immigrants Julius and Sarah Hurvitz and sister to Rosalind Hurvitz. She attended Classical High School where she met Edward Plotkin, the love of her life. She received her undergraduate degree at Clark University in psychology and was recognized in “Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.” While at Clark, she worked part-time to fund an adventurous trip through Europe, which began a lifelong love of travel. She later earned a Masters degree in Education and Counseling from Worcester State College.

Cecile loved every job she had over a long career of helping others of all ages. She worked with young children at Memorial Hospital as a speech therapist and as assistant to the Director of the Group Therapy Clinic and then with teenagers as a guidance counselor at Burncoat Jr. High School. She devoted the rest of her professional life to her work at the Jewish Center for Older Adults where she assisted with, coordinated, and created a wide array of services. Cecile found her work deeply fulfilling and was especially proud to have started a very popular men’s group program.

An active volunteer, she was a founder of the Clark University Parents Cooperative Nursery School as well as the Worcester chapter of the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT). She also served as a member of the board of directors for Jewish Family Services, Temple Sinai, and for the Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE).

Cecile took immense joy in her family and friendships. She was devoted to her parents Julius and Sarah and to her sister Roz. She was adored by Edward, her late husband of 67 years; by her children Scott, Jonathan and Martha; their spouses Amy, Barbara and Darren; and by her five grandchildren, Sarah, Jacob, Emma, Ben and Lily. She loved her cousins and drove far and wide to attend family events. She especially enjoyed camping with her kids and treasured visits with her grandchildren. With Ed, she shared a love of art, music and nature and their calendar was always full with concerts, museum visits, walks in the woods and travels around the world. Together, they were curious about and found delight in the smallest of wonders.

Cecile loved her many dear and loyal friends, with whom she shared a lifetime of joys and sorrows at bridge club and book club, when playing tennis, on vacations, and countless hours on the telephone. Cecile was known for being deeply caring and a cherished confidante, even among the children of her friends.
The family of Cecile Plotkin wishes to thank the caregivers who stayed with her around the clock in her final years in Ithaca, singing with her, chair-dancing, and treating her like the treasure she was.
The family will hold a private graveside service on Thursday, June 23 at the B’Nai Brith Cemetery in Worcester under the direction of Richard Perlman of the Miles Funeral Home of Holden, MA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Healthcare Center of Worcester, MA, or HIAS in Ukraine.