Cerna M. Gendler Obituary (1914 - 2018) - St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Cerna Merriam Gendler, 103, beloved by the family to which she was devoted, died Jan, 29 at Sholom Home West, St. Louis Park. Cerna was born May 17, 1914, to Romanian immigrants Arthur and Minnie Martin of Minneapolis. After graduating at age 16 from Minneapolis’ North High in January, 1931, into the depths of the Depression, Cerna found work for the state, then Columbia Pictures’ Minneapolis office, then as secretary and bookkeeper at Goodrich in downtown Minneapolis, where she was denied a raise because she was the highest-paid “girl” in the company’s region. In 1941, she married Jay Gendler of Blue Earth, Minn. They moved to Hawarden, Iowa, where Jay owned a Coast-to-Coast hardware store and the couple made lifelong friends. In 1951, the family moved to Albert Lea, where Jay bought a Maid-Rite sandwich shop and, in 1962, Cerna became secretary to the controller of National Cooperatives. Cerna was a lifelong reader who traveled from Albert Lea to Mankato to take college courses. A year after Jay’s death in 1972, Cerna returned to Minneapolis, eventually becoming office manager for the Jewish Community Relations Council. Memberships included Eastern Star, National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah and its book group, and Temple Israel. In addition to remaining involved in the lives of her growing family, Cerna was very close to her younger sisters, Sylvia Greene and Lorraine Winters, both of whom died earlier. The family thanks the staff of 3S at Sholom for years of tender care. She is survived by sons Neal (Marjorie Wasserman), John (Janet), Gail (Roger Bjork) and Stacey (Gary Bush); grandsons Jacob (Koniko), Jason and Aaron Gendler; granddaughters Elizabeth, Jennifer and Allison, great granddaughters Marie and Lily Rose and great grandson, Raymond. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Temple Israel, 2323 Fremont Av. S., Minneapolis. Shiva: Thursday and Saturday 7:00pm, Sholom Home West. Memorials to Temple Israel are preferred.