Sunday's Obituary ~ Harry Handler (1922-2016)

HANDLER, HARRY - age 93 of Ventnor, N.J. passed away [on March 7, 2016] lovingly surrounded by his family.

Harry was born in Akron, Ohio. He moved to the Atlantic City area in 1950 to help his older brother Art start an appliance and tire store in Atlantic City. Harry's expertise as a salesman and his youthful energy to do whatever was asked of him, contributed tremendously to what became a highly successful appliance store - still in business today. Harry was the manager of the second store located in Pleasantville. While manager, he met many Pleasantville residents and quickly made a reputation as someone who could offer appliances for every budget - from top-of-the-line to "used but not abused" (his favorite expression). Generation after generation came in to buy appliances, always asking only for Harry.

Harry served his country honorably during WWII, stationed in New Guinea. Tragically, his two older brothers - Alfred and Louis - were killed within 15 days of each other, tragedies that sent Harry stateside for the remainder of the war with the responsibility of guarding German POWs.

After his retirement from the appliance store, he loved to tend to his vegetable garden where he grew tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini. Harry was not the type to sit in a rocking chair letting time pass; he always kept busy, either finding chores in the house or outside tending to his plants and vegetables. In fact, keeping busy was key to his longevity. He was a tough guy who survived three different cancers, finally succumbing at 93.

He loved to make his family laugh, often mimicking the catch phrases of popular television commercials. He loved old gangster movies starring James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and John Garfield.

Surviving is the love of his life Anita Handler (married 64 years); sons Joseph (Jodi), Mark (Linda), Alan (Michelle) and Steven (Elizabeth) Handler; grandchildren Melanie Caruso (Chris), Kenneth, Rachel, Jesse, Daniel, David and Matthew Handler; also, many nieces and nephews. Harry is predeceased by his parents Joseph and Lena Handler; brothers Arthur, Alfred, and Louis Handler; sisters Belle Dorman and Margaret Levine.

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Thank you to Mark Handler, who wrote this obituary and gave permission for me to share it on my blog.

Sunday's Obituary ~ Samuel Litwin, 1935

Samuel Litwin was my mother-in-law's uncle. (His wife was "Tante Sophie," Sophie Lewites. Max Levitt, Sophie's brother and my mother-in-law's grandfather, died earlier that year, in May.)

My mother-in-law remembers the family attending Samuel's funeral in 1935, but she and her brother remained at the house when the adults attended the funeral service. She remembers being served lunch by a maid or housekeeper, who didn't understand what she and her brother said in response to the question "what part of the chicken do you want to eat?" and they answered "pulka" which is Yiddish for thigh or leg of the chicken.

Obituary for Samuel Litwin, November 29, 1935, Jewish Chronicle, www.GenealogyBank.com.

Samuel Litwin Dies
  Funeral services were held Monday for Samuel Litwin, father of former Assemblyman David M. Litwin, who died Saturday [November 23, 1935] at his home, 53 Girard Place. Rabbi Julius Silberfeld of Congregation B'nai Abraham officiated. Interment was in Oheb Shalom Cemetery.
  Mr. Litwin was born in Russia 63 years ago. He came to this country fifty-three years ago with his parents. He was educated in the public schools. For the last thirty years he had been in the real estate and insurance business in Newark. He was a grocer and butcher in Harrison for fifteen years prior to that time.
  He was a trustee of Congregation B'nai Abraham. He was president of two building and loan associations, treasurer of two others and a director in four other associations. He was a member of several fraternal organizations.
  Besides his son he is survived by his wife, Mrs. Sophie Litwin, and two other children, Moe A. Litwin and Mrs. Jeanette Picker, both of this city.

Unveiling of stone of Samuel Litwin, October 30, 1936, Jewish Chronicle, www.GenealogyBank.com.

LITWIN - The unveiling of the monument in memory of the late Samuel Litwin, beloved husband of Sophie Litwin and devoted father of Jeanette G. Picker, Moe A. and David M. Litwin, will take place Sunday, November 1, [1936] at 2:30 P.M., at Oheb Sholom Cemtery, North Broad Street, Hillside. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. In case of rain the unveiling will be postponed to the following Sunday.

I don't know if my mother-in-law attended the unveiling, but perhaps her mother did.

I find it interesting that there is no mention of Sophie's maiden name.

Sunday's Obituary ~ Jacob Reisner

Springfield Union, Springfield, Massachusetts, online images (www.genealogybank.com).
July 27, 1965, p. 14, col. 5. Jacob Reisner obituary.

Jacob Reisner, 75, of 98 1/2 Fort Pleasant Ave. died Monday in Wesson Memorial Hospital following a brief illness. He was born in Austria, son of the late Mendel and Rachel Reisner, and came to this country in 1905. He lived in New York City until 1921, when he moved to this city with his late wife, the former Rebecca Levitt, who died Feb. 16, 1962.. He had been general foreman for Asinof and Sons Co. both in New York and later in Chicopee until 1934. He later operated a grocery store on Fort Pleasant Ave. for many years until 11 years ago. He was a member of B'nai Jacob Synagogue, Maccabean Lodge, Knights of Pythias No. 23 and Springfield Jewish Home for the Aged. He leaves three sons, Atty. Samuel and Joseph, both of this city, and Harold of West Hartford, Conn.; two daughters, Mrs. Adele Levitt and Mrs. Roselle Lewis, both of Longmeadow; two brothers, Benjamin and Alex, both of Brooklyn, N.Y.; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. The funeral will be held today at 2 p.m. at Harold R. Aschey Memorial Chapel. Rabbi Moses D. Sheinkopf and Cantor Herman Abramson will officiate. Burial will be in B'nai Jacob Cemetery, West Springfield. Memorial week will be observed at the home of his son, Atty. Reisner at 27 Bronson Ter.

A couple of observations:
(1) There is no mention of the two daughters who pre-deceased him. See Reisner Twins.
(2) There is mention of the move from New York City to Springfield in 1921, which helps confirm my theory that they moved from Manhattan soon after the death of their infant daughter.
(3) The reference to working for "Asinof and Sons Co. both in New York and later in Chicopee" helps confirm the World War I Draft Card that I thought was for him, which mentions that he worked as a tailor for Essenoff & Sons.

Sunday's Obituary ~ Uncle Edward Levitt

My mother-in-law's uncle Eddie moved from southern New Jersey to Springfield, Massachusetts, between the births of his two children in 1933 (born in NJ) and 1937 (born in MA). Springfield is where his wife, Adele Reisner, was from. (Adele was the daughter of his older half-sister, Rebecca Levitt.)

GenealogyBank has his obituary in its Recent Obituaries database. This means that I don't have an image of it, but a transcription. The following is from page 24 of the Tuesday, August 23, 1988 issue of the Union-News of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Former store owner Edward Levitt, introduced television to Springfield
Edward Levitt, 80, of 7300 Radice Court [Lauderhill, FL], founder and retired 40-year owner of Levitts TV Center, Springfield, died yesterday in Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale.
Born in Woodbine, N.J., he lived in Springfield many years, moving to Florida after his retirement in 1974. He was graduated from the R.C.A. Electronics School of Chicago, and after taking many other TV courses, he introduced television to the Springfield area in 1934.
He was a member of Beth El Temple, the Samuel Sherwood Lodge of Masons, the Scottish Rite Bodies and Melha Shrine Temple and the Maccabean Lodge, Knights of Pythias.
He leaves his wife, the former Adele Reisner; a son, Marvin B. of Longmeadow; a daughter, Saundra E. Solomon of Longmeadow; a sister, Rose Goldstein of Ventnor, N.J., and seven grandchildren.
The funeral will be tomorrow afternoon at the Harold R. Ascher and Son Memorial Chapel with burial in Beth El Cemetery, West Springfield.
Memorial week will be at the home of Marvin Levitt, 54 Glenbrook Lane, Longmeadow, with evening services.

I have shared a photo of an early business of his: Levitt's Electric Service, in 1930's Woodbine, NJ.

Sunday's Obituary ~ Jake and Regina Solomon

Great Uncle Jake Solomon died on March 13, 1965, at age 81 (or 82, depending on the source of his birth year).

March 14, 1965, p. 14AA. Obituary/Death notice for Jake Solomon.,
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, online database (http://www.genealogybank.com).

SOLOMON
Jake Solomon, dearly beloved husband of Regina, devoted father of Morton, Mrs. Esther Goldstein, Miss Helen Solomon and dear grandfather of four. Services at Berkowitz-Kumin, Inc., Memorial Chapel, 1985 S. Taylor Rd., Cleveland Heights, Sunday, March 14, at 11 a.m. Family will receive friends at the residence, 1263 Ranchland Rd., Mayfield Heights.

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Great Aunt Regina (Handler) Solomon died on March 29, 1989, at age 97 (or 98 or 99, depending on the source of her birth year).

March 30, 1989, p. 19D. Death notice for Regina (Handler) Solomon.,
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, online database (http://www.genealogybank.com).

SOLOMON
Regina Solomon, beloved wife of the late Jacob, devoted mother of Esther Goldstein (Mrs. William), Helen Solomon and the late Morton Solomon, loving grandmother of Gary Solomon, Steven Solomon, Lori B. Guiliani and Lori B. Solomon-Hess. great grandmother of Michael Solomon. Services Friday, March 31 [1989] at 11 a.m. at Miller-Deutsch Memorial Chapel Inc. 1985 S. Taylor Rd., Cleveland Hts. Family at the residence of Helen Solomon, 1263 Ranchland Rd., Mayfield Hts. Contributions may be made to Menorah Park. Interment Warrensville Cemetery.

Sunday's Obituary ~ Sam Handler, 1954

I've been writing about the Sam Handler family and recently wondered where Sam and Sadie died. I searched for Sam Handler on Archives.com and found a Sam Handler in the death index in Los Angeles, California that possibly fit. When I asked my husband if he remembered any relatives going to California, he did! He remembered a meeting a Simon (which was David Simon, who married Sam and Sadie's daughter, Esther) at a Handler cousin wedding in Ohio in 1988. When I found Sadie Handler in the California death index in 1988 with mother's maiden name of Hershkowitz, that confirmed that I found them.

I noted this in an email to the reader in Ohio who has taken an interest in this research and once again I must thank him for directing me to another Cleveland, Ohio, research source - the Cleveland Public Library website.

The Cleveland Public Library has a Research page with information about how to search for Death Notices, Obituaries and Death Certificates. One section is the Cleveland Necrology File. From the initial search page is the following description:

The Cleveland Necrology File was produced from a microfilmed copy of an alphabetical card file containing local cemetery records and newspaper death notices gathered by the staff of the Cleveland Public Library. 

The database includes paid death notices published in the following newspapers:

• The Cleveland Plain Dealer - 1850-1975
• The Cleveland Herald - 1833, 1847-1848, 1876, 1878-1879
• The Cleveland Press - 1941-1975

Searching for Sam Handler, I find the following:

Id#: 0534346
Name: Handler, Sam
Date: Jun 14 1954
Source: Cleveland Press;  Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #115.
Notes: Handler, Sam, formerly of Cleveland, passed away June 8 at his residence, Sherman Oaks, Calif., beloved husband of Sadie, dearly devoted father of Arthur Handley [sic] of Cleveland and Mrs. Esther Simon of Sherman Oaks, Calif., dear brother of Mrs. Regina Solomon of Cleveland, and dear grandfather. Services and interment were held on June 9, at Los Angeles, Calif.

Note that the obituary doesn't indicate that he was predeceased by an older brother, Joseph Handler.

Update: See his death certificate.