Lee Shapiro

Lee Shapiro (née Green) passed away June 6, 2018 due to complications from congestive heart failure. She was born in London in 1923 and as a teen lived through WWII, with horrific daily bombings from German aircraft. She strove to lead a normal teenager life, playing tennis even as the air raid sirens started screaming. As a young woman, she joined the British Air Force, serving in the intelligence unit, and was part of the famous Bletchley Park campaign that cracked Nazi codes. After the war, Lee joined ORT and worked in the infamous Bergen Belson concentration camp helping survivors of the Nazi atrocities find new job skills and a path to healing. On her time off, she explored Europe in her beloved Aston Martin car.

In one ORT business trip to Paris, she met Moshe Shapiro, who was living in Israel; they soon were married and settled in Israel. Conditions were harsh, however, and they emigrated to the U.S. to join friends in Santa Cruz, CA. There they joined the small and welcoming Jewish community and Temple Beth El. Lee became very involved with the Temple and Hadassah. In addition, she was a dedicated stay-at-home mom to her daughter, Natalie, participated actively in her daughter's school and after-school activities, and became skilled at woodworking (she was highlighted in the local newspaper in the early 1960s), painting and photography.

When Moshe retired from his real estate business, they moved to San Diego and Lee quickly became involved with the San Diego chapter of Hadassah, serving on the Board and helping plan fundraising events. Lee also was a seasoned traveler and loved planning trips abroad and exploring new places. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a Jewish or environmental organization.