Maxene Greenfield of Bloomfield, Connecticut passed away on her 87th birthday, June 10, 2026. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 47 years, Jerry R. Greenfield, parents Minnie and Morris Spector, many aunts, uncles and cousins who she was so close to, and many dear and deeply missed friends.
Maxene is survived by her children, Jeffrey (Johanna) Greenfield of West Hartford, CT, David (Susan) Greenfield of Naples, FL and Derek Greenfield of the Dominican Republic; grandchildren Lindsay (Steven) Osmanski, Mark (Meg) Greenfield; great grandchildren Soraya, Ayla, Maia and Mikko; nieces and nephews Paula Tantillo, Lisa (Michael) DeClerck, Steven (Rebecca) Spector and Jessica Kent; brother Sid (Ilene) Spector; grand and great grand nieces and nephews Zachary (Madeline), Tyler (Shelby), Sienna, Savanna, Spencer, Abigail, Gibson and Lily, and Skylar, Zoe, Jaxon, Kallie, Camden, Isaiah, Layana and Masiah; former sister in law Shirley Kane; honorary grandchild Abdulwali (Barikisu) Kasim; and many beloved friends from throughout her life.
Maxene was a graduate of Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA and continued her education at SUNY Brockport, completing studies in Therapeutic and Geriatric Therapy, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Marketing and Advertising. She loved to learn and rarely wasn’t enrolled in a class of some kind, art appreciation, cooking, computer, art and much more. She was a talented artist who found new creative outlets throughout her life and who so appreciated art in all forms. In particular, she was an accomplished copper enamelist, exhibiting her work professionally and sharing pieces with family and friends, and later worked in beading, designing jewelry that so many people now enjoy and cherish, and other media. And of course she had an epic rubber stamp collection, providing a smile to anyone who received anything from her.
Other than her time at Harcum and the last eight plus years of her life when she needed to move near Jeff and Johanna in Connecticut, Maxene lived in Rochester, NY and was as proud and dedicated a Rochesterian as there could be. She loved her native city, was an incredible resource for anyone who needed to know anything about Rochester, and most significantly was someone who truly made a difference in the city. She was a passionate volunteer and/or board member for well over 50 years, for organizations including Jewish Family Service, Jewish Home, AIDS Rochester (where she was one of the founding volunteers at a time when the disease was widely misunderstood, and later served on the board), Brighton Theatre Guild, Temple Beth El, Jewish Federation of Rochester, the Memorial Art Gallery and more. She was employed at Arts for Greater Rochester, WXXI Public Television and Radio and as an independent graphic design consultant.
Most of all, she was a wonderful, caring, dedicated daughter, wife, mom, grandma, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She loved spending time with her family, whether off on a grand adventure together (Paris being her favorite place) or quietly talking at home. She had a special ability to make friends of all ages at whatever age she was at, and was always there for all of those friends from then on. She also became a beloved “adopted grandma” to many of her friends’ grandchildren, who when in town always wanted to visit her, do art projects with her, and see what color her hair was that day (pink, blue and purple being most prevalent but you never knew). Maxene will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Services will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 11:00 am at Brighton Memorial Chapel, 3325 Winton Road South, Rochester, NY. The family will receive visitors before the service starting at 10:00 am.
