Obituary: Mary Zakheim Ginsberg

Mary Zakheim Ginsberg was a first generation American born in Atlanta in November 1919 to Gussie and Israel Zakheim. Raised in Grant Park across the street from the Atlanta Zoo, Mary fell asleep each night to the sounds of lions roaring and elephants trumpeting.

As a teenager, Mary and her older brother Benny worked in her parents’ grocery store, where they learned about entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency. During World War II, Mary worked for the federal government in Washington, D.C., but returned to Atlanta after the death of her father. Thereafter she worked as a secretary for Rabbi Harry H. Epstein and as an executive assistant at the Kelvinator company.

In the mid-1950s, Mary was introduced to Max Ginsberg and in 1958 they married, a union that lasted over 50 years until Max’ death in 2008. After the birth of their son Jonathan, Max and Mary purchased the Southeastern Drug Journal, a pharmaceutical trade magazine, with Max serving as the editor and publisher and Mary responsible for daily operations.

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In the 1970s, Mary developed the first offsite continuing education program for pharmacists, allowing them to obtain their yearly continuing education by mail, a program that continues to this day.

Mary’s most cherished roles, however, were that of a mother to Jonathan and mother-in-law to Jodi, and later as a grandmother to Jessica and Jake. Bubby Mary was kind, fun-loving, thoughtful and patient and she was always ready to pack her bag and join her family on beach trips to Hilton Head or the Florida panhandle.

Mary enjoyed good health and independence well into her 90s and thanks to her longtime love of exercise and her positive outlook, she never suffered any significant medical issues. She did develop dementia in her last few years and our family will forever be grateful to her dedicated caregivers Judith and Theresa for making Mary’s final years comfortable and pleasant.

In addition to her immediate family, Mary is survived by her nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, all of whose lives were enriched by knowing her. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Congregation Or Hadash, The Epstein School or Weinstein Hospice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.