Miriam “Mim” Rapport

Frances Miriam “Mim” Rapport, 81, died Sunday, June 14, at Rice Estate in Columbia, S.C., after a long period of declining health.

Mim was born Nov. 25, 1933, in Tel Aviv to the late Albert and Ida Brown Sherman. Her parents moved back to the United States when she was an infant and she grew up in the Boston suburb of Malden, Mass. She was graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., where she met the love of her life, the late Mike Rapport. They married on June 21, 1953. Their first child, Beth, was born in New York City a year later while Mike was in graduate school and then they moved back to Mike’s hometown of New Philadelphia, where they raised their growing family while Mim earned her teaching certificate at Malone College and her master’s degree in educational administration at Kent State University. She moved to Columbus in 2004 and then to South Carolina in 2012.

Mim was a retired English teacher at New Philadelphia High School who lived for 40 years in the family home on East High Avenue, where she gardened and cooked with gusto, including for large gatherings of family and friends for many years at Thanksgiving. As a teacher, she helped good students get better and “bad” students find out they weren’t so bad after all. She also was an active union leader with the New Philadelphia Education Association. Mim also was active with the Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County and had been a member of Shaaray Torah Synagogue in Canton.

Mim is survived by her daughter, Beth (Dr. Jack) Angelotta of Hudson, Ohio; sons Marc (Mia) Rapport of Columbia, S.C., and Carl Rapport of Columbus; daughters-in-law Diane Frea of Columbia, S.C., and Nancy Shapiro Rapport of Bexley, Ohio; grandchildren Josh Angelotta of Cleveland, Dr. Cara (Mark) Angelotta Cesarik of New York City, Sam Angelotta (fiancé Jessica Heinnickel) of Chicago, Hannah (Jackson) Price of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Emily Rapport of Davidson, N.C., and Jake Rapport of Bexley; step-grandson Henry Horlbeck of Columbia, S.C., and great-grandson James Michael Cesarik of New York City. Survivors also include her brothers and sisters-in-law Murray (Dee) Sherman of Wilmington, N.C., and Ed (Betty) Sherman of Tulsa, Okla.; her cousin Dr. Roberta Brown (Dr. Steve Krebs) of Concord Township, Ohio; her sisters-in-law Lourie Rapport of Estero, Fla., Libby (Dr. Stanley) Brody of Canton, Sherry Rapport of Oregon, and Karlyn Rapport of Marquette, Mich., and many loving nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Mim was preceded in death by her husband, Mike Rapport, on Sept. 10, 1998, and her son, Josh Rapport, on Sept. 10, 1979. She also was preceded by her nephew Kevin Sherman; her aunt and uncle Dr. Itz (Claire) Brown and Ruth (Julius) Brown Spector; and her sister- and brothers-in-law Bashie (Dr. Walter) Cohen, Dr. Sam Rapport, Dr. Jim Rapport and Bill Rapport.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, at Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home in New Philadelphia with Rabbi A.J. Kushner officiating. Burial will follow in East Avenue Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the entire staff at Rice Estate — especially her devoted, loving friend Valerie Box — for their many months of skilled, compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the scholarship fund of the Quaker Foundation at 124 North Broadway, New Philadelphia, OH 44663.