Rachel Galperin

Galperin, Rachel Kalamazoo, MI Passed away on August 12 after a brief illness. She was 84. Rachel was born on February 10, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1939, and she lived there until relocating to Kalamazoo in 2009. Rachel is survived by her daughter, Michelle Miller-Adams, and son, David Alan Miller (Andrea Oser); grandchildren Eliana Adams and Ari, Miranda, and Elias Oser Miller; two sisters, Elizabeth (Herbert) Leifer and Leatrice (Harvey) Sokoloff; and three generations of beloved nieces and nephews. Devotion to her family was central to her life. Rachel attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. An avid opera lover and reader, poet, political progressive, and frequent writer of Letters to the Editor, Rachel was a lifelong learner. Rachel began her teaching career in 1952; in the 1970s she was a professor of educational psychology and sociology at California State University Northridge. She concluded her professional career as executive director of a nonprofit day activity center for children and adults with developmental disabilities, retiring in 2005. Rachel's Jewish heritage was an important part of her identity; in Kalamazoo she was a proud member of Temple B'nai Israel and the Dorothy Slavin Chapter of Hadassah. She was loved by many and will be missed by all who knew her. A private committal service will take place at Mt. Home Cemetery, Kalamazoo. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, Hadassah, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or a progressive cause of your choice. Arrangements by Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel. For obituary and condolences, please see Rachel's personalized page at www.langelands.com