Rebecca Kaplan

Rebecca "Becky" Kaplan passed away August 20, 2009 at her home. She was 83. A lifelong resident of Willimantic, she moved to White Oaks Retirement Community in Manchester, CT last year. After attending Windham High School she graduated from Morse Business College in Hartford. She worked as a secretary at the University of Connecticut prior to her marriage in 1946. After her two daughters were born, she went back to school and earned a Bachelors Degree in Education from The Willimantic Teachers College (now Eastern CT State University). She initially taught elementary school in Coventry for several years, and then spent the remainder of her 30 year teaching career at Annie E. Vinton Elementary School in Mansfield. While still teaching she obtained her realtors license and worked part time for Lessenger Real Estate. With her husband, Joe, and brother, Sam, she was co-founder of the Ridges Outlet fabric store in Mansfield. She was a long-time member of Temple Bnai Israel in Willimantic and was active in local politics. After her retirement from teaching in 1987, she served as an assistant Registrar of Voters in Windham and she enjoyed spending her winters in Florida and Tucson, AZ. Becky had a zest for life, loved meeting people and sharing life stories and laughter. Until recent years, she loved to entertain in her Windham home. She took joy in the lives of her two daughters, Lynne Kaplan Boyd of Carmel, CA and Roberta Kaplan Schwane of Mansfield, CT as well as her three grandsons, Joel Boyd, Matthew Schwane and Jeffrey Schwane. She leaves them as well as her sons-in-law Steven Schwane and Rannie Boyd, her sister Bertha Schiller of Mansfield, her brother-in law, Frank Schiller, her sisters-in-law Theresa Horn and Ruth Kaskowitz, and many nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her beloved husband Joe, by her wonderful companion in recent years, Paul Kaplitz and by her brothers Abe and Sam Horn. She will be sorely missed by all her knew her. The funeral will be held at 11AM on Sunday, August 23rd at Temple Bnai Israel, 345 Jackson St., Willimantic. Her family and friends will be gathering for the traditional Shiva mourning period from Sunday through Tuesday evenings after 6:00pm at the home of Roberta and Steve Schwane , 11 Woodmont Dr., Mansfield. Memorial donations can be sent to Temple Bnai Israel, PO Box 61 Willimantic, CT 06226. Arrangements through Potter Funeral Home, Willimantic. For online memorial guestbook, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com .