Passionate advocate for seniors, dies at 89

Edith Lederberg was known as a fearless champion for seniors for good reason, her friends say. It was true.

Lederberg, the tireless leader who spent decades heading the agency that coordinates senior services in Broward County, died Sunday at age 89 with her family by her side.

Lederberg took the helm of the Aging and Disability Resource Center for Broward County in 1986. Decades later, she had no plans to retire — even after reaching her milestone 85th birthday in 2014.

“I’m not the type who wants to sit by the pool playing cards,” Lederberg told the South Florida Sun Sentinel at the time.

That tenacious spirit had not changed much in the past four years.

“She was still going strong,” said Natasha Elfarghali, the agency’s interim executive director. “We just [celebrated] her 89th birthday in October. She was looking to retire in January 2020 after her 90th birthday. Edith was definitely one of a kind.”

Lederberg had a reputation as a take-charge dynamo with a keen sense of humor.

Mark Adler, executive director of Meals on Wheels South Florida, referred to her as “our Champion for Seniors” in an email to community leaders Monday afternoon.

“Edith leaves this world a better place for her having been an inspiration, fighter, leader, advocate and friend to so many,” he wrote.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz described Lederberg as a dear friend and visionary leader ahead of her time.

“Edith recognized that seniors were not relics to be housed or placed on a shelf,” Wasserman Schultz said. “She understood that creating a community that cared for the vulnerable and allowed the vibrant to shine were equally important. Edith was always on the front lines in responding to the critical needs of our community, whether it was making sure the elderly and disabled got to their medical appointments, or looking after our gay and lesbian population as they moved into their sunset years.”

A longtime Tamarac resident, Lederberg could also work magic in the kitchen, wowing all with her baked goods.

Those sweet creations were her calling card — and her most persuasive tool, Wasserman Schultz said.

Peter Kaldes, president and CEO of the South Florida Institute on Aging, praised Lederberg for what he called a relentless pursuit of her mission.

“Edith was passionate about improving the lives of area seniors, and she devoted herself with a single-minded purpose to drive change,” Kaldes said.

A native of Freeport, N.Y., Lederberg is survived by her daughter Carole Cooperman of Dix Hills, N.Y.; sons Peter Lederberg, of Boca Raton, and Joel Lederberg, of Boynton Beach; two sisters, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren

Funeral services will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Star of David Memorial Gardens, 7701 Bailey Road in North Lauderdale. Burial will be on Friday at Mount Ararat Cemetery in Lindenhurst, N.Y.

Lederberg