Obituaries - Dec. 18, 1996

Bobbette Fleschler, a popular San Fernando Valley historian, curator and speaker, has died. She was 38. Fleschler was the former president of the San Fernando Valley Historical Society and president of Friends of the Library at CSUN. Fleschler died Sunday from complications of lupus at the Kaiser Foundation Medical Center in Panorama City, according to her husband, Stephen Fleschler. Born April 10, 1958, in Woodland Hills, Fleschler held the distinction of being the first baby legally adopted by a single mother in Los Angeles County, said her husband. After graduating from Taft High School, Fleschler earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from CSUN. She later returned to the school to teach a Valley history course for the extension division. “Her accomplishments were too numerous to list,” said Stephen Fleschler, who married Bobbette in 1984. “Every time she got involved with something, they wanted her to be president because she was a brilliant administrator with a golden tongue.” A Chatsworth resident for nine years, Fleschler was also an expert on Jewish history in the Valley. She was curator of exhibits of note for CSUN and the West Valley Jewish Community Center, including “History of the Jews in the Valley,” a slide show for children that was embraced by many adults. She also gave talks on Valley history and worked as a docent. “She was a very capable, knowledgeable historian who was very active,” said Sy Rifkin, Fleschler’s co-chairman of the Jewish History Project. “She contributed considerable expertise to assembling the archives at the center.” Fleschler’s final exhibit for the project, “Celebrations,” will begin its tour of Los Angeles in February at the Bernard Milken Community Campus. At the time of her death, Fleschler was chairman of the Temple Ramat Zion membership committee and president of the archives at the West Valley Jewish Community Center. She also belonged to numerous advisory committees. In addition to her husband, Fleschler is survived by her daughter, Aviva, also of Chatsworth. Her mother, Elizabeth Cloninger, died earlier this month. A funeral service will be held at noon today at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, 10940 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, or to the West Valley Jewish Community Center Archives, 22622 Vanowen St., West Hills.