Elaine Suzanne Bronstein (nee Retchin)

Elaine Suzanne Bronstein (nee Retchin), our Mom and Nana, born November 16, 1923, has passed away at the incredible age of 98. She joins her parents, Louis and Laura Retchin, her sisters, Mitzi Tucker and Norma Stern and her beloved husband, Sam Bronstein. She is survived by her loving children, Keith (Arlene) Bronstein and Nancy (Jimmy) Kaplan; her grandchildren, Scott (Liza) Bronstein, Alyson (Aaron) Lippman, Jaime (Bryan) Olson, Hawkeye Bronstein, and Ben (Alex) Kaplan; and her great-grandchildren, Cameron, Dylan, Zoey, and Hailey Bronstein; Elliot, Sam, and Leo Lippman; Noah Olson; and Cade and Cole Kaplan; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Elaine grew up in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, where her father was a furrier. She could be found ice skating in Lincoln Park and singing with her sisters. Elaine and Sam met in their twenties, married in 1948, and moved to Wilmette, where they raised their children and welcomed their grandchildren. Elaine battled illness from her teens to her early forties, after which she welcomed good health for the remainder of her very long life. She worked in public relations at Skokie Valley Hospital and helped care for some of her grandchildren. Elaine tooled around in her red convertible and allowed the occasional Homers or DQ ice cream, while being certain to provide well rounded meals for her husband and family. She hosted the Retchin family Chanukah party for many years, until she and Sam moved to Northbrook. She lived there with Sam until his passing, in 2000, and later moved to Sedgebrook in Lincolnshire. There, she sang in the choir and spent 8 delightful years with her “significant other” Ben Brostoff, until his passing in 2017. She was lovingly cared for over the past several years by Rosa Carmen Teo.

Elaine was fiercely independent and was always right. She sang beautifully, valued lovely things, and would never be seen without her hair done and lipstick applied. She loved nothing more than she loved her family.
Elaine was graceful until the very end and passed peacefully on to her next adventure on February 19, 2022. Her spirit will live sweetly on in the hearts of her family.

Graveside service Wednesday 12:30PM at Memorial Park Cemetery (Section Gan M'Nucha), 9900 Gross Point Road, Skokie.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, PO Box 22324, New York, NY 10087, www.lls.org or Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, 733 Third Avenue, Suite 510, New York, NY 10017, www.crohnscolitisfoundation.or... or Action Against Hunger, One Whitehall Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10004, www.actionagainsthunger.org. To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.