Doris Tobenkin Milofsky

Doris Tobenkin Milofsky 

December 16, 1926 - September 2, 2020  Born in Oakland, CA and moved to Bethesda, MD in 1960 with her husband, Wilfred Milofsky of Washington, DC. Doris taught elementary school for more than 50 years, the majority in MCPS. She taught kindergarten for 35 years at Travilah Elementary School in Gaithersburg, MD. Her legacy as a staunch believer in equity and as a stellar teacher remains in the Travilah community. Doris was an avid dancer, gardener, and seamstress with an eye for style. Above all else, she adored teaching young children. Doris was known for her ageless beauty, but her intelligence enabled her to attend college at age 16. She met Wilfred at age 18 while teaching dance at Arthur Murray when he requested her as his instructor. They both went to Berkeley where she majored in drama and he performed in Berkeley's outdoor Greek Theater. She later had four children, Mark, Leslie, Lisa, and Alison, who all stayed in MD to be near her. Doris' four siblings were Phil, Jim, Fran, and Mark. Her dear sister Fran passed away on August 30, 2020, just three days before Doris. Her younger brother Mark describes Doris as a tomboy and his fierce protector. Despite growing up during the Depression, Doris used her lunch money daily to go to Edy's Grand Ice Cream Parlor and to nickel movies. She loved sweets. Doris' passion was teaching young children to read. Learning to read was so important to her that she regularly combed the county book depository to build an unparalleled classroom library for her kindergartners. She was the teacher every parent wanted their child to have and was adored by generations of children and their families. In 2011, at Travilah's 50th anniversary, a former student reflected back 25 years. "All my positive experiences at Travilah can be traced back to one person - Mrs. Milofsky, my kindergarten teacher. In my family Mrs. Milofsky is famous. I loved and still love her very much." From her, "I learned what love was... [She] had such a great impact on me and my life and I could never thank [her] enough." Doris taught well into her seventies, retiring when she became a grandmother at age 77 to Sophie, followed by Gabo, Mila, Eamon, and Max, all of whom she cherished. As a mother, she always said, "This too shall pass" to her children, and she truly lived her last years as if she could defeat any obstacle. She was a fighter and a protector, the embodiment of a mama bear. Memorial Service To Be Scheduled in 2021. Donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or BCC Rescue Squad.