Barbara Z. Scolnick dies at 65

Barbara Z. Scolnick, loving wife, mother, sister and “gaga” to eight beautiful grandchildren, died peacefully in her Westwood home on April 25 after a 19-month battle with brain cancer. She was 65 years old.

Scolnick was born in the small farming town of London, Ohio. After graduating from Ohio State University, she traveled with her young family across the country to start a new life in Palos Verdes. She was an active volunteer at Congregation Ner Tamid, Chadwick School and Hospice, but she found her true calling when she began working in the accessories department of Nordstrom. She went on to become Nordstrom’s top personal shopper, eventually doing the same at Saks and Barneys. She always knew what to wear and how to wear it; she dressed numerous people for their simchas — from bat mitzvahs to the Oscars — instilling them with confidence and pride.

Scolnick was the go-to person for information about the best places to eat and shop all over the world — she even kept a journal called “Barbara’s Guide to Gaining Weight and Losing Money.” She was surrounded by a large network of loving friends, and in 1992 she met her beshert, Morton Scolnick. Together they enjoyed traveling the world, Shabbat pool parties with their grandchildren, shidduchim (matchmaking) and supporting numerous causes, including Stop Cancer, Wellness, The Jewish Federation and AIPAC.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Morton Scolnick; children, Jeff (Debby) Zwelling and Rabbi Sherre (Dr. Jeff) Hirsch; stepdaughters, Michelle (Mark) Belchetz and Laina (Jon) Eskin; grandchildren Emet, Eden, Alia and Levi Hirsch, Zachary and Lilah Zwelling, Sam and Marlee Belchetz; and siblings, Sophie Brill, Marvin (Patty) Dworkin and Marlene (Bill) Schwartz.