Riva Jean Mandel, 86, Retired Rye Country Day School Teacher

The following obituary is from Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home:

Riva Jean Mandel, 86, of Rye, NY, and more recently living at Edgehill in Stamford, CT, passed away on May 7th.

A retired third-grade teacher for Rye Country Day School, Riva was born in Brooklyn, NY to Dr. Morris Weintrob and Frances Samilson Weintrob on August 30, 1928.

Riva, who graduated from Brooklyn College and held an M.A. in Education, loved working with children and in retirement continued her joy in learning by donating her time to children’s programs at the Rye Nature Center and the Rye Square House. Her sister Ellen Schor and Evan William Bill Mandel, whom she met at summer camp when she was 14 and married on January 23 1949, predeceased Riva.

Riva is survived by her sister Meta Willis and her children Jon Mandel, Marcy Jo Mandel, and Patricia Anne Mandel, and granddaughter Samantha Mandel. Memorial donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

A memorial service will be held 12 pm on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at Shippan’s Thomas M Gallagher Funeral Home (next to the Knights of Columbus) 453 Shippan Ave Stamford, CT ( 203) 359-9999. To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.gallagherfuneralhome.com.