Mildred “Milly” Friedman, 77, a longtime volunteer for Chicago and North Shore charitable organizations, died Saturday, Feb. 3, in Highland Park Hospital of cancer. Born and raised on Chicago’s West Side, Mrs. Friedman went to Marshall High School and married her husband, Leonard, soon after graduating. She and her husband, an investment banker, first lived in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. In the 1950s, they moved to Highland Park, where they lived for about 40 years. Mrs. Friedman was involved with numerous charities. At one point, she was president of the Jesse Werthamer Service Club, one of the first organizations in Chicago dedicated to finding the cause of cystic fibrosis. Mrs. Friedman was also a longtime member of the women’s auxiliary of the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago and a founding member of the Literary Service League, which contributed to local charities throughout the area. The Jerry Freeman Service Club was another of Mrs. Friedman’s interests, and she helped establish a fund for the home care of Michael Reese cancer patients. “She didn’t find the cure for cancer, she won’t go down in the history books, but there are so many women who do charitable works and go unrecognized,” said her daughter Sandra. “She worked hard and kept her home and raised her children and didn’t make a big fuss about it.” While living in Chicago, Mrs. Friedman was a member of Ner Tamid Congregation and then became a member of North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe. Survivors include another daughter, Dayle; a brother, Len Schechtman; and numerous grandchildren. Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Weinstein Family Services Wilmette Chapel, 111 Skokie Blvd., Wilmette.
