Longtime Northwest Baltimore resident Mildred Kramer Shapiro passed away on Friday, Apr. 24. She was 102.
A native of Winchester, Virginia, Shapiro was the youngest of four children born to Jewish immigrants from Lithuania.
“Her fond childhood memories — which she recounted in great detail even as a centenarian — included participating in her hometown’s Apple Blossom parade, being one of the few families in town to have a telephone, and receiving her driver’s license at the age of 14,” her family posted on the website of Sol Levinson & Bros. “To celebrate her 101st birthday, Mildred took some of her children on a tour of Winchester and [John] Handley High, sharing with them her vivid memories of school dances, classmates and teachers, and the old layout of the school building.”
After graduating from Handley High School in 1942, Shapiro moved to Baltimore. She worked at the Gamse Lithographing Co. during the day and attended Strayer’s Business College at night to study bookkeeping. She also studied fashion illustration at the Maryland Institute, College of Art, for three years.
During World War II, Shapiro contributed to the war effort by by knitting gloves for soldiers, wrapping bandages for the American Red Cross, and attending dances for Jewish military personnel at home.
In 1949, she married Solomon “Sol” Shapiro, who returned home the war after serving in the Pacific Theater. They settled in Northwest Baltimore and were active members of Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim. They were also founders of the Tenners Investment Group and socialized with a group of close friends known as “The Gang.”
After the youngest of her four children started elementary school, Mildred Shapiro began taking classes at Towson State College (today known as Towson University). In 1976, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in international relations.
Later, she worked as a part-time bookkeeper for relatives who were in the glass distribution business. In addition, she helped her husband, a psychologist, in administering psychological tests to patients.
Sol Shapiro passed away in 1989. About a decade later, Mildred Shapiro was introduced to William “Bill” Bashevkin, a resident of Hollywood, Florida. They wed in Baltimore and enjoyed 14 years of marriage, splitting their time between Baltimore and Hollywood. Bashevkin passed away in 2014.
In her spare time, Shapiro belonged to a Yiddish club, enjoyed completing New York Times crossword puzzles,and practiced Tai Chi at Pikesville Senior Center. She also volunteered at the gift shop at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital.
“Many years ago, I volunteered on the weekends at Levindale,” wrote Owings Mills resident Phyllis M. Lewkowicz. “I met Mildred at the gift shop. Levindale had a really nice gift shop and I would buy little trinkets for residents who became my friends. Mildred would always tell me, ‘Buy something for yourself now and then,’ which I did at times. Mildred was a caring friendly person with a smile on her face every day. She was my special gift shop buddy.”
Wrote her family: “Despite becoming bound to a wheelchair at the age of 99, Mildred did her best to remain actively involved with family and friends, welcoming many visitors to her apartment on Park Heights Avenue. She became an avid Netflix user, making her way through every season of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and rewatching ‘Gilmore Girls’ several times. She made three special visits up to her son David’s vacation home in Maine with her beloved caregiver Charlotte. There, she enjoyed time on the lake, played poker on the porch, and taught her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters how to make blintzes.
“On March 8, 2026, more than 50 guests attended an open house at Mildred’s apartment to celebrate her 102nd birthday, during which she gave a beautiful, appreciative speech, reflecting on reaching such an incredible age.”
Mildred Shapiro is survived by her sons, Philip (Aldona) Shapiro of St. Petersburg, Florida, and Vilnius, Lithuania, and David (Sarah) Shapiro of Baltimore; her daughter, Judi (Avi) Auerbach of Efrat, Israel; her son-in-law Steve (Becky) Gordon of Baltimore and Kfar Vradim, Israel; her step-children, Alan (Nancy Pearlman) Bashevkin and Dr. Michael (Joy) Bashevkin; her grandchildren: Rebecca (Mitch) Granat Shapiro, Ezra (Nili) Auerbach, Emily (John) Francis, Dahlia Shalem, AJ (Esty) Gordon, Abby (Johannes Ingerfurth) Shapiro, Michal (Avrohom) Lever, Jeff (Eduardo Garza Santos) Gordon, Alana (Eric) Brookfield, Eli (Ayelet) Auerbach, Shlomo (Naomi) Auerbach, Sophie (Daniel) Bitran, Rachel Shapiro, Leah Shapiro, Ayelet (Yann) Ganem, and Rebecca (Julia Campbell) Shapiro.
She is also survived by 40 great-grandchildren, as well as nieces and relatives and friends of all generations.
She was predeased by her two husbands and her daughter, Hinda Ann Gordon.
The funeral service will take place on Sunday, Apr. 26, at 1:30 pm at Sol Levinson’s Main Chapel, 8900 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville. Interment will be at Anshe Neisen Cemetery, 6700 Hamilton Avenue in Rosedale.
For shiva information, visit sollevinson.com/memorials/mildred-shapiro/4399005/
Contributions in her memory can be sent to Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America; BridgingLife Hospice of Baltimore; JustOneChesed; or the B’nai Abraham and Yehuda Laib Family Society.
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