Meryl Jean Wolfson

Meryl was the dear and beloved twin sister of Karen Wolfson-Bellmore, with whom she shared a profoundly deep and special bond, and the much loved sister-in-law of Karen’s husband, John Bellmore of Spokane, Washington. She was the adored daughter of the late Benjamin and Libby Wolfson and the much loved niece of Uncle Arthur Wolfson and Lanette Marsh; and Aunt Marcia Jackson; Aunt Eleanor and Lew Aronin; Aunt Sylvia and Sol Kaufman; Uncle Eli and Emma Wolfson; and Uncles Jack & Lawrence Herson.

In addition to Meryl’s sister Karen, Meryl is survived by her loving cousins and their partners/spouses and families, near and far: Susan, Jonathan, and Miriam Wolfson; Michael, Howard and Jeffrey Kaufman; Marty Wolfson; Marlene Sigel and Terry Dubow and; and Nancy, Jay and Kim Herson. We all admired her deep well of sweetness and the way she made us all chuckle with her sometimes quirky and self-effacing sense of humor and her loving nicknames for all of us -- remembering when we were all “little.” And we all benefitted from her wonderful and vivid memories of our many shared family birthday parties as children, warm family gatherings throughout the years, and her sometimes mischievous adventures and endeavors with Karen (including stealing chocolate chip cookies hidden under Nana Herson’s bed).

Meryl was a devoted and loving daughter, regularly visiting her dear mom, Libby, who had Alzheimer’s in her later years, and her dad, Ben, prior. She was incredibly humble and kind – always vocalizing her love for others when she had the chance, and expressing appreciation even for the smallest of kind gestures -- and all with an ever present sense of politeness and old world manners. Just like her mom, she would always ask about each and every family member by name (including “Little Ori,” Susan’s beloved black lab, Orion), wanting to know how they were doing and following up on any little tidbit of information that had been shared. She had a genuinely loving spirit and life philosophy, and her family, and showing kindness to those around her, was very important to her.

In addition to her professional life as an accountant and bookkeeper for many years, she had a deep love of the natural world, and especially animals, and she became a very principled vegetarian from an incredibly young age. And with her childlike delight and enthusiasm, she especially loved “kitties,” and was a dedicated and loving “cat mom” for many years. And how she loved to “meow” on the phone with Karen any chance they could. Meryl also put her passions into action and worked for the New England Anti-Vivisection Society for many years and volunteered for the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She also had a very meaningful daily meditation practice, focusing on the breath, in and out, and “the gift of just being alive” which brought her a lot of solace throughout her life.

In her younger years, Meryl was an avid exerciser and loved biking, and was somehow talented enough to teach herself to play lead guitar in the style of musicians like Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, whom Meryl admired. In her later years, she benefitted from the many kindnesses (and cats) of her neighbor Marlyn (and the late George), as well as her many caregivers at Briarwood in Needham, MA.

Meryl was a kind, loving and pure soul, beautiful inside and out, and she will be greatly missed by all. May her legacy of expressing love, appreciation and kindness be a guiding light in our family, and may her memory be a blessing.

Her Graveside Service will be held at Lindwood Memorial Park, 490 North Street, Randolph, MA on Sunday, July 23 at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jewish Family & Children’s Service’s Family Table Program (or any program of your choice) www.jfcsboston.org; the MSPCA-Angell Memorial Animal Hospital https://www.mspca.org/adoption-centers/boston-adoption-center; or the New England Anti-Vivisection Society https://riseforanimals.org.