Obituary of Mollie Behar Morhaime

Mollie Behar Morhaime was born at home in the Lower East Side of New York City to Solomon and Estreya (Camhi) Behar, of blessed memory, who had immigrated from Western Turkey. In 1936, the family moved to Los Angeles to find a better life. Mollie graduated from Manual Arts High School in 1940 and went on to secretarial school, all the while working in the family flower business on Olvera Street. During World War II, she worked as a secretary for the War Department. She went on to work as a secretary and bookkeeper for CPAs, attorneys and in real estate management. She married Marcos N. Bejar (1953) and later Leo B. Morhaime, OBM (1957), but both ended in divorce. Mollie was very proud of being a strong, self-supporting single mother in an era when most women were housewives. She was also active in the Los Angeles Sephardic Jewish community and pioneered for women's equality by being the first woman elected to the Board of Directors of Temple Tifereth Israel, which she served for many years in different capacities. When not working or volunteering, Mollie enjoyed reading, dining out and going to movies. In 1992, Mollie retired from Los Angeles to Sun City West, Arizona, yet she still worked part-time keeping books. In retirement, Mollie joined in the family tradition of her mother, sisters and daughter by watching the soap opera As the World Turns until its end in 2010. She also enjoyed playing Bingo and gambled occasionally at Native American casinos. In 2013, she moved to Las Vegas, NV to be with her family. Mollie was a survivor, having lived through two bouts with cancer in the 1990s. After a cancer relapse, Mollie became quite ill and passed away on December 22, 2016. She was predeceased by her sister Rebecca Malalel. She is survived by her sister Lena Raiton of Sun City West, AZ; children Lucie and her husband Mark Sample of Las Vegas and Valerie Morhaime and her husband of Brookline, MA; grandchildren Sean Sample, Amira Sample (Nelson Grogan), Julieta Gonzales (Jesse), Maya Curtis and Ilana Curtis; and greatgrandchildren Tifferet, Tikvah and Arianna Sample and Guillermina, Lizette and Donna Gonzales. A graveside service will be held at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at Palm Cemetery, Northwest, 6701 N. Jones Blvd., Las Vegas, NV. Contributions in Mollie's memory may be made to Temple Sinai, 9001 Hillpointe Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134, ttp://www.templesinailv.org. .