Thelma Bond Silber

Thelma Bond Silber died at the age of 93 of natural causes on July 19, 2023, at home in Osprey Heights, Valrico, Florida. She formerly lived in Brooklyn, NY, Union and Tenafly, NJ and Brandon, Florida.

Thelma was a homemaker and long-time independent investor who, unusual for women of her generation, made all financial decisions for the family. She became interested in investing as a child when she read the stock reports for her Uncle Harry who could not read English but was amassing money to bring his younger brother Irving over from Poland; he arrived in 1938, escaping the Holocaust.

Thelma was deeply involved in work for Hadassah, a Jewish service organization which operates hospitals in Israel, and served several times as President of the Northern New Jersey chapter. She was also active in the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT) and as a library volunteer.

Thelma loved bridge, mahjong, Broadway shows, and was for a number of years a volunteer usher at the Roundabout Theater Company.

She read a newspaper cover to cover almost every day of her adult life and avidly followed politics and sports as well as finance.

She also loved literature, had a book club with her grandchildren, and performed a regular podcast for which she wrote topical poems.  She was interviewed about her life in a podcast called “Tuesdays with Grandma Thelma”.

Thelma observed the Jewish adage to learn from every person and would engage everyone she met in conversation, no matter where she was, no matter who they were.

She was the daughter of Leo and Rose Chaiken Bond, who came to the US as immigrants in the 1920s and were active in the early days of union organizing for the millinery trade. They also ran a small grocery in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Thelma was predeceased by her husband of 52 years, Joseph Silber, M.D., and by her son Marshall. She is survived and mourned by her three daughters, Sharon Silber, Ph.D. of New York, NY, Joanne Ronay of Brandon, FL and Bobbie Lamont of Portland, ME,  by sons in law David Weiss and Gary Ronay, M.D., and by her beloved grandchildren Michelle Rachel Ronay, Stephen Ronay, M.D., and Aryeh Ronay; Benjamin, Adam, and Johnny Lamont; and Jesse Weiss; spouses Mike Schlictman, Rachel Belfer, M.D., Manya Ronay, Julianna Brunini, and D'Andrala Alexander, as well as by her great-grandson Joseph (Jack) Ronay-Schlichtman and her second great-grandson due in August. She is also survived by her brother Martin Bond of Boca Raton, nieces Beth Levy and Jodi Zinman and nephew Gregg Bond.

Thelma is mourned by her many friends, who remember her abiding curiosity in everyone and everything, her deep intellectual and personal engagement, her flair for fashion, her tremendous bravery in her final illness, as well as the care and astute advice she generously extended to others.

Burial is being handled by Segal Funeral Home and will be at Mt Lebanon Cemetery in Iselin NJ at 1:30 pm on July 23rd. Thelma would be honored by any contribution to any charity of your choice.