Ilene Gordon Wittels, July 1, 2026

1932-2026

Wife of Alan Gerstein; mother of Rhonda Wittels and Lawrence Bud (Lynn) Wittels; stepmother of Gabrielle (Thomas) Kalis and Leedara Zola; grandmother of Daniel (Mia) Wittels, Alison Wittels, Sarah Kalis Osgood (Daniel), Holly Kalis, and Alana Zola (Jake Weisenthal); very proud great-grandmother of Zac and Sloane Wittels; daughter of Maurice J. Gordon z”l and Rose Astor Gordon Abrams z”l; sister of Julius A. Gordon z”l; aunt, great-aunt and cousin to many.

Ilene was born and raised in St. Louis graduating from Soldan-Blewett High School in 1949. She graduated from Washington University in 1953 where she was a founding member of Sigma Delta Tau Sorority-Alpha Eta Chapter. After beginning her family, she returned to Washington University where she earned her Ph.D. in psychology in 1971. She was a faculty member at Washington University in the Department of Psychology and served as Continuing & Professional Studies Program Administrator; University Missouri St. Louis where she was the Director of the Aging Center; and Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center/Memory and Aging Project. Throughout her career, Ilene also worked at Psychological Associates Inc., in St. Louis. Ilene continued her academic pursuits even in retirement and was an active volunteer preparing tax returns and an active member in various genealogy societies in St. Louis. Ilene will be remembered for her intellect, curiosity, unwavering devotion to education, and love for her family.

The family is grateful for all the caregivers that helped Ilene over the years, with special thanks to Rae, Peggy, Karissa, Maia and Brittany.

Graveside service Friday July 3 at 1:00 p.m. at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 7500 Olive Blvd. in University City. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information. BERGER MEMORIAL SERVICE