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Elaine heroically fought cancer for 13 years. I was so fortunate to spend several days with her in Portland last spring. We spent a lot of time together during our years at Roosevelt and Heights. We also were very active in United Synagogue Youth at Park Synagogue. So many great memories! Rest in peace, old friend.
Elaine Norr Newman, a woman of kindness and strength, passed away peacefully on September 23, 2025, at the age of 78. Born on May 29, 1947, in Cleveland, Ohio, Elaine dedicated her life to her family and her community, leaving an indelible mark on all who knew her.
Her professional life was a testament to her commitment to serving others. She began her career as an elementary school teacher before transitioning to fundraising and coordination roles. Her detail orientation and diligence led to positions with the Franklin County Alcohol and Mental Health Board, the American Cancer Society and, eventually, Director of Grant Writing at the Jewish Federation. She also worked with Temple Israel, Hadassah and co-owned Kidsplace, a daycare on Columbus’s westside. After her formal career, she continued her philanthropic work as a dedicated volunteer including with Social Venture Partners PDX, which works diligently to bring free preschool to all.
Elaine’s greatest pride and joy was her family. She was first and foremost a devoted mother and grandmother, creating loving Jewish homes in Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles, California; and Portland, Oregon. Her brave, kind, patient, and understanding nature was the foundation of her family, and her spirit will live on in them.
Elaine is survived by her loving husband, Edward Newman; her sister, Susan Norr Sunkle; her children Julie Newman, Joanna Newman, Joel Newman and his wife Alice Graham; and her cherished grandchildren Noah Greenberg, Emmett Greenberg, Hudson Greenberg, Doris Newman, and Beatrix Newman. Susan was predeceased by her brother, Paul Norr and survived by his wife, Helaine Gross.
Services will be held at Ahavai Shalom Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 26, 2025. The family requests that charitable contributions be made to the organizations that were close to Elaine’s heart: Planned Parenthood, Social Venture Partners PDX, and Rabbi Posen’s Discretionary Fund at Neveh Shalom.
May her memory be a blessing.
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David Feldheim
I have known Elaine since 2nd grade at Park Synagogue. We became better friends later through Jewish Youth Groups and then at Heights, but the truth is that our paths did not cross for fifty years after graduation. Then, when my wife and I decided in 2016 to move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to be near our kids and grandkids, I went to our Class Website and clicked "California" on the Home Page, which displays all the known classmates who lived in California in 2016. I saw Elaine's name.
I sent her a message and she wrote back "Call me when you get here".
I did call her, and Elaine and my wife became dear friends. Ironically, Elaine and her husband moved a year later to Portland to be near their kids (Is there a famialier theme here), but we stayed close. We visited Elaine and Ed in Portland, as recently as a few months ago, and we saw them when she was in LA to visit family. Our most recent visit was great. We drove out the scenic Columbia River George, stopping at the Bonneville Dam and for dinner and ice cream cones. We had a wonderful weekend
To my wife, Andrea, who did not know her in High School, Elaine was a role model. She was fun to be with, sensible, with a sense of humor about life’s difficulties. She carried on with great love and pleasure knowing what lay ahead. She continued to host family and friends no matter her condition. And she made everyone feel understood and loved. Her unceasing courage and love created a new gold standard in her own quiet unassuming way.
Elaine made everyone's life better. Andrea and I will always remember Elaine and love her.
May her memory be a blessing.
Mitzi Friedland (Kotler)
Elaine and I have known one another for many years, since our mothers were friends from childhood. Although we were never close, ourselves, we were often thrown together at Park Synagogue and various United Synagogue Youth events. She always treated me with kindness and that is what I will remember most about her. People as kind and giving as Elaine are all too rare and the world can ill afford to lose her. May her memory be for a blessing.
Marvin Komerofsky
I first met Elaine on day one of 7th grade at Roosevelt when we were assigned to the same home room. I saw her most every day from then until our Heights High graduation, as we always seemed to have at least one class in common and we were both in band. When she and I spoke at our 10-year Class Reunion, she told me that she was living in Columbus and had become friends with one of my extended family members. While I didn’t know Elaine that well apart from being her classmate, I knew her well enough to know that she was kind, unpretentious, and genuine. She will be missed by all who knew her.
May her memory be a blessing.
Bernard Kritzer
I met Elaine in the 10th grade in Mr Ruthford's homeroom A125. She was kind and thoughtful towards everyone. We lost track after high school and did not meet again until the 50th reunion I. 2015. We recognized one another immediately and shared our memories of high school and the next 50 years. She was a class person. May she rest in peace!