Lorraine Claire Mednik Stiffelman

Beloved daughter of Della and Maury Mednik, Lorraine passed peacefully at 103.

Everybody loved Lorraine.

Growing up a shy girl, she overcame her shyness to hold so many positions of service in the community. Her long, rich life made for a long resumé. Even a partial list is encyclopedic:

Past President of Congregation B’nai Jehudah, first woman to hold that position.

Former President of Temple Sisterhood, Former Vice-President of National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (now called Women of Reform Judaism), and past Vice-President of District #20 National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods.

Former member of Board of Trustees of Union of American Congregations and member of North American Board of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Member of Women’s Division Board of Jewish Federation and Yad b’Yad Committee; former Vice-President of Women’s Division, founding Chairman of Jewish Family Commission, former member of Federation Board of Trustees.

Served on Advisory Boards of National Conference of Community and Justice and the Jewish Community Relations Bureau of the American Jewish Committee. Past Board member of Jewish Vocational Services, Jewish Education Council and Hadassah. Former member of Board of National Council of Jewish Women and producer and director of its Entertainmobile for 15 years, performing at nursing homes throughout the area.

Former member of the Board of Family and Children’s Services of Greater Kansas City and Chairman of its Plays for Living program. Former Board member and Secretary of the Museum Without Walls.

Received awards from Voluntary Action Center and the Whitney M. Young Urban League Guild.

Docent at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and member of the Society of Fellows of the Nelson Gallery.

Born Lorraine Claire Mednik in St. Louis, Missouri, July 5, 1921. Attended Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans and Graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Lived in Kansas City after her marriage to Lester Stiffelman, her devoted husband.

She is survived by her three children: Neal and his wife, Ellen Modell; Gary Scott Stiffelman and his wife Carmen Stiffelman; and Susan Stiffelman and her husband Paul Stanton, and by her grandchildren: Naomi Stiffelman and her husband, Ivan Schneider, Bess Stiffelman, and Oscar Stiffelman and his wife, Kamila Dmowska, and their son, Henri, by Ethan Stiffelman, Lyssa Stiffelman and her husband Hadar Berkman, and by Ari Andersen and his wife, Annie Steele.

Lester passed away in 1993. She moved to Los Angeles in 2013.

In lieu of flowers donations may be send to The Temple, Congregation B'nai Jehudah, 12320 Nall Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66209, The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, 5801 West 115th St., Overland Park, KS, or a charity of your choice.

Graveside services will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at Rose Hill Cemetery, 6900 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO 64131. To join the family by zoom, please use the link and passcode below.

Topic: Lorraine Stiffelman Graveside Service
Time: Jul 31, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87102119542?pwd=cHeCg2NQIuawZPJnZaSbG8WTZh9ijT.1

Meeting ID: 871 0211 9542
Passcode: 439181