Frances Ruth Wortzel of Bridgewater, formerly of Livingston, died January 17 at the Chelsea at Bridgewater. She was 99 years old.
Born and raised in Newark, she lived in Livingston and later split time between Boynton Beach, Florida and West Orange, before moving to Bridgewater.
Mrs. Wortzel earned a bachelor of arts degree from Montclair State Teachers’ College in 1944 and a master of business administration degree from New York University in 1949. She worked 43 years with her husband, Dr. Martin H. Wortzel, a dermatologist in private practice with offices in Newark, Millburn and Caldwell. He predeceased her in 1997.
She is survived by her children, Barbara Franzblau of Bridgewater, and Dr. Jay Wortzel (Karen) of Wayside; and three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
She was a weekly “Listener” in a model program called “Listening to Children” in New Jersey and Florida school systems. She advocated for the sight and hearing impaired, and served as a volunteer physician assistant at the Department of Health in Palm Beach County, Florida. A life member and past president of the Junior Hadassah of Newark, she became a life member of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, a member of the Saint Barnabas Women’s Auxiliary, and a member of Alpha Zeta Omega Pharmacy Women’s Auxiliary. She was a former member of the Phi Delta Epsilon medical fraternity.
She held a New Jersey real estate license.
A funeral service was held on Sunday, January 21, at the Bernheim- Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, Livingston. Burial followed at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge.
