Mae (Perlstein) Liss

WORCESTER - Mae Liss was an extraordinary woman, a woman ahead of her time in so many ways. Born on September 21, 1925 in Harlem, she was the beloved second daughter of the late Samuel and Eva Perlstein. She had a wonderful relationship with her late sister, Roslyn Rohde, until her passing
in 2001.
Mae lived virtually her entire life in New York, moving from Harlem to the Bronx to Queens and then finally to Long Island in 1959. She lived the last 8 weeks of her life in Worcester, Massachusetts. She spent many happy summers at Camp Kinder Ring in New York and passed on the love of camp to her children and even some of her grandchildren.

After graduating from Walton High School, she finished Hunter College at age 20 with a degree in Mathematics. Wanting to study with a particular professor, she attended University of California at Berkeley for a Master’s degree in statistics. Returning to NYC, Mae became a high school math teacher.

She met her husband, Melvin Liss, at a singles weekend in the Catskills. They began to build their family and moved to the house in Williston Park, NY where Mae resided until the present. Mae returned to work after a number of years in a flexible job using her statistics working for the Milk Marketing Department of the federal government. No one in the family ever understood exactly what she did. She retired in 1989 to care for Mel who had developed health challenges. After Mel’s death in 1993, she became more involved in volunteer work, running a very successful fundraiser for the synagogue for years and preparing the Wednesday morning breakfast. When she retired from those jobs, it took at least two people to replace her in each.

In addition to the synagogue, she was dedicated to her immediate and extended family, her neighbors and with veteran’s groups along with Mel. She was a fixture well into her 90’s at the impassionately left-leaning table at the Shelter Rock Jewish Center kiddush luncheon every Saturday.

Mae was devoted to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and always ready to help out. They returned the devotion and love. She is survived by her children: Deborah and Daniel Fins, Nora and Jonathan Contract, Martin and Mindy Liss; her grandchildren: Adam (Lauren), Eric (Meg), Matthew, Jordan, Yiriel (Leah), Morgan, Adin (Ora), Aderet, Noam (Rachel), and Chaviva; her great-grandchildren: Derrick, Elisha, Yonatan, Akiva, Jack, Kayla, Brooke, Yehudah, and Nava; many nieces and nephews; and friends who adored her.

Mae requested that any donations be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. A quote from the Talmud sums up Mae’s life beautifully: “Sow to yourselves according to charity and reap according to kindness.” The family is grateful to the wonderful caregivers both at home and at the Jewish Healthcare Center who provided devoted, kind, and respectful care.

May her name and memory be a blessing and may she rest in peace.