Matilda S Frankel

Matilda “Mati” (Shoenberg) Frankel, 91, passed away Friday (Nov. 1, 2019) at Meadowbrook Health Center, Urbana.

She was born on Sept. 6, 1928 in Jerusalem (British Protectorate), to Pinhas and Yona (Levy) Shoenberg. The family moved to the United States in 1929. After five years in Brooklyn, NY, they moved to Berkeley, CA, where Mati attended school from first grade through high school, and then went on to graduate from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in economics.

She married Marvin Frankel on Sept. 23, 1951. They moved to Urbana in 1952 when Marvin joined the faculty at the University of Illinois. Mati raised three children, all of whom graduated from the U of I. She worked at the U of I on a part time basis for 20 years, primarily in the area of social research, first at the Survey Research Laboratory and lastly with the Soviet Interview Project.

Following her retirement, she was a volunteer for many years at both the Urbana Free Library and the Music Library at the U of I. She was an avid reader and gardener, a wonderful cook, an accomplished pianist and a lover of languages. She was part of a music group and a German club. In addition to German, she studied French and Russian. Her gentle disposition and sweet smile will be remembered by those who knew and loved her.

Mati is survived by her husband of 68 years, Marvin Frankel; three children, Karen (Henry) Seiter of Urbana, Kenneth Frankel (Zsanett York) of Issaquah, WA and David Frankel (Karl Brown) of Monte Sereno CA; three grandchildren, Israel Seiter (Alicia Winiecki), Stephen (Sydney) Seiter and Joshua Seiter. Four great-grandchildren, Bella Winiecki and Sienna, Christian and Cora Seiter, five nieces and two nephews also survive her.

She was preceded in death by her parents (too soon) and beloved only sibling, Frieda.

A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on December 7, 2019 at Clark Lindsey Village (Laing Dining Room) in Urbana.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Urbana Free Library or the Carle Cancer Center.

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