In Memory: Iris Silverman, Age 91
Iris Silverman, née Hill, passed away June 26, 2022 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. She was 91.
Iris Hill was born on December 6, 1930, in Rye, New York. She graduated from Douglass College at Rutgers University in 1952. Iris was Director of the Division of Assessment and Coordination for the Office of Education, and later the Executive Director of the Advisory Council on Education Statistics at the National Council on Education Statistics. There she met the love of her life, Leslie J. Silverman, whom she married in 1982.
In retirement, Iris was a volunteer docent at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., leading tours and explaining art history with her signature insight and wit. An adventurous and intrepid traveler, Iris lived in France and Italy with Leslie. In her 70s, she toured China and Tibet with a group of docents (Leslie stayed home).
Iris and Leslie spent many summers working and attending classical music concerts at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lee, MA. They had countless friends with whom they traveled, attended concerts, discussed books, and enjoyed sumptuous meals. Iris was a regular at the Politics & Prose Bookstore, where she and Leslie attended author talks and even worked for a time. Iris’s passion for art, music, and literature, her generous nature, and her quick wit will be missed by all her friends and family.
Iris is survived by her son Henry Garfield; her stepdaughters Beth Kljajic, Amy Silver O’Leary, and Sara Silverman; and three step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents Agnes Donigan Hill and Robert Lawrence Hill; her beloved sister Nancy Hill Davenport; and her husband Leslie.
No service is planned. Should friends wish to make a memorial gift, donations may be sent to the National Gallery of Art.
