Obituary of Martha Heyman

Where there was no path, she left a trail… Martha Heyman (née Gorwitz), 92, of Leisure Village West passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loving family on August 3, 2016. Smart, vivacious, feisty, quick-witted, and always in motion, Martha was a matriarch, a community leader, an entrepreneur, and world traveler. Whatever she did was done with passion and grace. Martha never waited for others to solve a problem: when her eldest son was stricken with polio, she became a leading fundraiser for The March of Dimes. When she saw there was a need for a conservative synagogue in Lakewood, Congregation Ahavaat Shalom was founded with a meeting in her living room. She gave herself fully and generously, and played a fierce game of canasta. Her family fled Nazi-occupied Vienna, where she was a serious student of ballet and piano, and came to New York City in October of 1938. One day on a subway platform in 1942, she met a dashing sailor named Harry Heyman. He became the love of her life and they were married for 56 years. Together, they raised three children while running two successful businesses on the Jersey Shore. Predeceased by her husband, Harry, Martha is survived and will be greatly missed by her three loving children, Jack (Carol), Annette, and Michael (Karen), four grandchildren, Jessica (Jonathan), Darian (Rebecca), Paulo (Jennifer), and Nicole (Georgi), and five great-grandchildren, Isa, Camilla, Reid, Graham, and Anika. She was our anchor and always made sure that her family knew we were her first priority. Funeral Services will be held 11:00am Friday, August 5, 2016 at Congregation B’nai Israel, 1488 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, NJ 08753. Interment will follow at B’nai Israel Memorial Park, Toms River, NJ. Shiva will be observed at Martha’s home on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and all day Sunday. In lieu of flowers, those who would like to honor her memory may direct donations to Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5023, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5023. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Belkoff-Goldstein Funeral Chapel, Lakewood, NJ.