Rena Chernick, 83, of Montpelier and Warren, simply "Rena" to all
who knew and loved her, died while returning from a dental convention
in Hawaii on October 5, 2009. She was 83 years old. Rena was active in
the world of dentistry and dental examination, setting standards and
administering exams to license dentists and hygienists. In 2004, she
was named by Governor James Douglas to the Vermont Board of Dental
Examiners.
Rena was engaged in many civic affairs in Montpelier and Warren,
including president and board member of the Central Vermont Hospital
Auxiliary and member of the board of directors of the Central Vermont
Hospital, to which she was deeply devoted. She was also a longtime
member and former vice president of the Valley Rotary Club in
Warren-Waitsfield and served on the board of directors of the Central
Vermont Red Cross. She was a dedicated supporter of the arts and
served as president of Children's Ballet of Vermont for many years, was
a lifetime member of the Vermont Federation of Garden Clubs, and
belonged to many other arts and civic associations.
Rena pioneered the participation of dental hygienists on state and
regional Boards of Dental Examiners. She was first woman and hygienist
to be appointed to the Rhode Island Board by the RI state governor in
1976, and went on to become an executive member of the New England
Board of Dental Examiners. Later after moving to Vermont and entering
into private practice, she was named to the Vermont board, becoming the
first dental hygienist to serve on two state dental boards: Rhode
Island and Vermont. For her work as a dental hygienist, Rena Chernick
won many awards, most recently receiving the Outstanding Alumni Award
from her alma mater, Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene of the
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the New England Board of Dental Examiners.
Rena was married to Irwin Chernick, an attorney in Providence, Rhode
Island. They bought a home in Warren, Vermont, in 1963. Irwin Chernick
died in 1982 just as the family was moving full time to Warren. Rena
continued to live in Warren until 2005 and then moved to Montpelier.
As a young widow, she soldiered on without her life's partner. She
continued her professional work until the very end, working in private
practice in Montpelier and Barre, attending seminars, serving on the
Vermont Board, representing the State of Vermont at dental meetings.
Rena Chernick represented a style of professional woman who remains
fully engaged and active professionally into her 80s.
Beyond her public life, Rena was known as a vibrant, compassionate and
loving woman to her family and friends. She had a wide and varied set
of friends in the worlds of arts, dentistry and dental hygiene, in
civic associations, and around her attachment to the Jewish faith. At
the center of her life was her family. Earlier this year she mourned
the premature loss of her beloved grandson, Zdravko, known as Z. She is
survived by a sister, Barbara from Burlington; three children and their
spouses, Abbie Saad and her husband Essam of Somerset, NJ, Naomi
Marshall and her husband Greg of Bellingham, Washington, and Marc
Chernick and his wife Tulia of Takoma Park, MD. She is also survived by
three grandchildren, Tatijana, Ivan and Omar, and two
step-grandchildren, Camilo and Alvaro Hernán.
Time and place of service will be announced in a later paper. For those
wishing to convey online condolences to the family, visit
www.barber-lanier.com.
