Deanne Gloria Lesher Kaplan
KAPLAN: Deanne Gloria Lesher Kaplan, born Dec. 14, 1940, and originally a native of Pittsburgh, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2025, at her home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. She was a loving mother, wife, friend, grandmother and great-grandmother, who will always be remembered with much love. She made the best matzoh ball soup for Pesach, her favorite Jewish holiday. Deanne was an active member of Hadassah, and a past president of the Allentown chapter in Pennsylvania. She and her husband were very active with multiple Jewish organizations, and helped to bring knowledge of Jewish history to the world via a book that she and her husband wrote together. They also endowed the University of Pennsylvania with an extensive collection of ephemera on Jewish history. Deanne had been a teacher and a social worker prior to becoming a full-time mother to her children. She loved to travel whenever the opportunity presented itself. She was also an avid dog lover and had three chihuahuas to keep her company and on her toes. She loved all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was a gentle soul, loved by many and missed by all. She is predeceased by her mother, Rose Sniderman Lesher, her father, Abraham Lesher, and her brother Gerald Lesher. She is survived by her husband, Arnold Harvey Kaplan, her two daughters, Katherine (Stephen) Locke and Pamela (Martin) Ryba, her six grandchildren, Rachel, Brittany and Kevin Kendall, as well as Greyson, Maris and Asher Ryba, and her four great-grandchildren, Ashlee and Ari Kendall, as well as Bella Kendall and Cedric Kendall. A yahrzeit service will be held at the Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Rd, Pgh, PA, 15216, on April 26, 2025, at 10:00 am, followed by a kiddush. Shiva will be held at Katherine’s home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hadassah or the ZOA. Professional services have been entrusted to a funeral home and crematory in Florida. PJC
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