Charlotte Ida (Litman) Tubis

(May 8, 1937 – February 23, 2015)

In the very short time we have here, it is hard for me to describe the many qualities that made Charlotte such a loving daughter of her parents, a sister adored by her two older brothers Phil and Henry, and a devoted wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, supporter of Jewish institutions and causes, and as you will find out shortly, a jack-of-many-trades in her varied professional life.

She was born in Beverly, Massachusetts but mainly grew up in nearby Salem. Her father Max realized the American dream of becoming a successful businessman after entering the US as a near penniless immigrant from Poland. From Max, Charlotte inherited her hearty laugh and sense of humor. From her mother Matilda who came to the USA from England, she acquired the extraordinary knack of immediately befriending and bonding with nearly anyone who had the good fortune of coming in contact with her – in stores, libraries, swimming pools, theaters, airports, conference receptions, oneg Shabbats – you name it.

As a young girl she expressed interest in a career in medicine, attended University of Massachusetts, Amherst and later received a degree in biology from Boston University in June of 1959, with the Reverend Martin Luther King receiving an honorary doctorate at her graduation ceremonies. During that same magical month of June of 1959, I received my doctorate degree from an institution across the Charles River from BU, and then Charlotte several days later received another degree – an MRS one that started us on a wonderful and fulfilling 53 years together until our bliss was shattered by the onset of her leukemia at the end of 2012.

Although Charlotte never achieved her early ambition for a career in medicine, she embarked almost immediately after her marriage on a long line of professional pursuits. She first worked as a technician (dissecting mice and rats) at the Worcester (MA) Foundation for Experimental Biology (where the first successful birth control pill was developed). After I joined the Physics Department of Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, and she soon gave birth to Cheryl Lynne and Eliot Jason, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Biology Education. Over the next thirty-five years, her varied activities covered a tremendous range. She worked on early attempts to design self-paced instructional modules in introductory biology, in a genetic neuroscience lab (poking micro-electrodes into the eyes of fruit flies), and in a plant biology lab. She helped edit an economics text book written by a professor who later became Dean of the Krannert Business School at Purdue, worked for a start-up computer data-base company, served as an executive assistant to the head of the Nursing Department, and finally for many years worked in the Computer Science Department as executive assistant to Douglas Comer, a prolific author of books on computer networking and editor of a computer software journal. In this last position, she witnessed first hand and close-up many of the early developments leading to the explosive growth of the modern internet. Her experiences in working among computer science people made her into a sort of mini-geek to her many friends who sought her advice on how to deal with all of the new-fangled digital-age contraptions that now clutter and complicate our lives.

Charlotte’s professional work did not deter her from being very active in the Jewish Community. During our forty years in West Lafayette, Indiana. She was a life member of Hadassah, served as Sisterhood President of Congregation Sons of Abraham, and participated in many Congregation activities.

After moving to Carlsbad, CA in 2000 and our joining Temple Solel, Charlotte became active in forming two new havurahs, with initial organizational meetings at our home, and pushed vigorously for more Temple activities for the “older” generations. In these activities, her bonding and befriending skills and sense of humor once again proved to be great assets.

Her love of painting in oil, acrylic, and watercolors that began when she lived in Worcester, MA lasted the rest of her life. In retirement, she enrolled as an art student in the San Diego Community College, and won Best of Show Awards in the Student Showcases of the 2004 and 2006 San Diego County Fairs. While battling cancer during the very last year of her life, she produced over 60 watercolor paintings that she gave to appreciative nurses, physicians, and other staff members of the Moore’s Cancer Center of the University of California San Diego at La Jolla.

She is survived by her husband Arnold, brother Philip Litman of Stewart, FL, daughter Cheryl Lynne (Tubis) Brown of Chicago, IL son Eliot Jason Tubis of La Jolla, CA, granddaughters Stephanie Anne Brown of Champaign Urbana, IL and Amanda Carolyn Brown of Los Angeles, CA, and grandsons Nicholas Maxwell Tubis and Justin Joseph Tubis of La Jolla, CA.

Hopefully our present sadness over her passing will soon be eased by the many happy memories of her loving nature and the qualities her multifaceted life.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Charlotte’s memory to Temple Solel (www.templesolel.net) and/or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org) will be greatly appreciated by her family.

Arnold Tubis

with

Cheryl Lynne (Tubis) Brown and Eliot Jason Tubis