Harriet (Seiden) Brotter

Harriet Brotter, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, passed away quietly on April 5, 2022, at Geisinger Community Medical Center.

Born Harriet Seiden in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Fannie and Benjamin Seiden, she graduated from Tilden High School in Brooklyn. She then married the love of her life Marvin (Miv) Brotter to whom she was married for 66 years, until his death on Nov. 3, 2019. After the birth of her sons, Bruce in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Mark in Irvington, N.J., the family moved to Scranton in 1960 where Marvin was the director of urban planning at Bellante and Clauss Inc. Their third son Jay was born in 1964 and the couple enjoyed raising their family in the home that Marvin designed, on land he developed, creating a new neighborhood on Cleveland Avenue on the East Mountain of Scranton. Marvin later started his own city planning firm, Associated Planning and Development Services, which was a well-known and highly successful urban planning firm serving many communities throughout Northeastern Pa.

Harriet was known by friends and family as having an artistic flair and love for music. As a high school student, she was voted "Best Dressed" in her class of over 500, wearing clothing that were self-made thanks to her design sense and sewing skills. During her later years her love of music expressed itself through her passion and talent for dance, and in raising sons who are musicians.

She worked for years as a Peer counselor at the "Rap House" in downtown Scranton, and for many more years as an aide for 2- and 3-year-old children in the JCC Day Care Center. She championed women's rights in the 1960s, holding support groups in her home where women would come and share their ideas and feelings about the changing norms for women during that pivotal time in our society. Most of all, her capacity to connect with others and to foster connection between others, was a most special quality for which Harriet was known, and which will be so deeply missed by her close friends and family. Her greatest pleasure was to talk, listen, offer advice, share laughs, and simply enjoy conversations with her loved ones for hours. She has touched countless lives with this gift of compassion.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Marvin; her brother, Daniel Seiden; and her daughter-in-law, Debbie Jurkowitz. Harriet is survived by her brother, Robert Seiden; and by her sons, Bruce Brotter, of Pleasantville, N.Y.; Mark Brotter, of New York City; Jay Brotter and his wife, Reena, and granddaughter, Zoey, of Roaring Brook Twp.; grandsons, Cody Brotter, of West Hollywood, Calif.; Jesse Brotter, of New York City; Jake Brotter and his wife, Loryn, of New York City; and was additionally blessed to meet her great-granddaughter, Dalia, daughter of Jake and Loryn.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 8, at 9 a.m. at Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home Inc., 318 E Drinker St., Dunmore, Pa. Interment, New Montefiore Cemetery, West Babylon, N.Y.

The family requests donations can be made to the Lymphoma Research Foundation at lymphoma.org or to the organization for gun safety at everytown.org.

Friends and family can share thoughts and memories of Harriet via a Zoom memorial which will be held on Sunday, April 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. ET. If you'd like to join this Zoom call, please email bromark222@AOL.com and the Zoom link will be emailed to you.

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