BILDNER--Allen I., of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and West Orange, New Jersey, passed away on February 5, 2015. Born August 16, 1926, in Maspeth, New York, Allen was married for 64 years to Joan Lebson Bildner, who predeceased him. Allen was the former Chair and CEO of Kings Super Markets, a family-owned company for 52 years until its 1988 sale to Marks and Spencer. He was also a past chair of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the supermarket industry's national and global trade association, and a founder and past chair of the New Jersey Food Council. Allen was a respected leader in the Jewish and secular communities, serving on numerous nonprofit as well as for-profit boards including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Maltz Jupiter (Fla.) Theatre, Yankee Sports and Entertainment Network (YES), New Jersey Bell and Seton Hall University. Allen received numerous community and industry honors, as well as awards from Dartmouth College, from which he graduated and from where he received an MBA. His honors include the Dartmouth Alumni Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Justice Lifetime Achievement Award of Dartmouth College, the Charles Evans Hughes Humanitarian Award of the National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ) and honorary doctorates, along with Joan Bildner, from Bloomfield College and Rowan University. In 2002, Allen was named by Supermarket News as one of the 50 visionary food industry leaders of the last 50 years. Along with Joan Bildner, Allen was a co-founder of the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers. Allen is survived by his loving children, sons Rob and Jim, daughters-in-law Elisa and Nancy, and grandchildren Elana, Lizzie, Ari, Eli and Rafi. He is also survived by his sister, Phyllis Schechter, and is predeceased by a grandson, Peter. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the communities in New Jersey and Florida where he lived, worked, and served. Funeral services will be held at 1:30pm on Sunday, February 8th at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, 432 Scotland Rd, South Orange, NJ 07079. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made in his memory to the Joan and Allen Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers University, 12 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024 and the Maltz Theater, 1001 E. Indiantown Rd., Jupiter, FL 33477.

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Published by New York Times on Feb. 6, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for ALLEN BILDNER

13 Entries

Kenneth Aidekman

February 11, 2015

Dear Bildner families,
I was saddened to hear of Allen's passing. Although I did not know him well he was always thoughtful and friendly to me whenever we met. I will remember his exceptional generosity and his total dedication to preserving the history of the supermarket business in New Jersey. He will be missed.

Cheryl Good

February 10, 2015

Dear Rob, Elisa, Jim and Nancy and all Family Members,

Learning about Allen's passing brought sadness to my heart. I worked closely with him at Kings for over 14 years. He was a mentor, a friend and an all around wonderful person. He had and exercised a great vision for Kings. He will surely be missed by many.

Charles & Terry Madia

February 9, 2015

Dear Rob & Elisa, Jim & Nancy,
We were deeply saddened by news of Allen's passing. Our heart felt condolences to you and your family. I have many great memories of Allen during the 80's when I was his Driver at Kings and spent many hours with him. I was very happy when I received a letter from him this past October. Allen was a great person, he treated everyone equal and always insisted that associates called him by his first name, he will be be missed by many people.
Please accept our Deepest Sympathies, In this time of grief, your in our thoughts and in our prayers.
His Memories will Live On Forever.
R.I.P. Allen

Linda Hilton

February 9, 2015

I have very good memories of Mr. B, as I use to call him, when I worked for him and Joan in Florida. Jim, Nancy, Rob, Elisa and the Grandchildren I know you will miss him very much but you too have many wonderful memories of him.

Kenny Lowenfish

February 9, 2015

My father Ed Lowenfish worked with (never felt he worked FOR Allen)for many years at Kings. Allen was the most supportive and loyal friend to my father throughout his career. Because of Allen, my father LOVED his job and Loved the life it provided for him. I will never forget Allen or all off the lives he has touched with his class, kindness, friendliness and generosity. My condolences to The Bildner Family!

Steven and Carolyn Capodicasa

February 9, 2015

Our deepest sympathies to Rob and his family. We have wonderful memories of once being part of the Kings family and working for a visionary who knew everyone's name. We are grateful for those years and all that we learned.

Bruce Leiwant

February 8, 2015

This news brought back so many memories of years long past back when Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel was simply Temple Israel under Rabbi Weiner. On any holiday there were Allen & Joan. They were a fixture during my childhood and teen years in the community plus friends of my parents. My condolences to the family.

February 8, 2015

The best boss I have ever had. RIP Allen. Joan is waiting for you. An extraordinary human being.

February 7, 2015

Sending condolences to the family from Irving Trachman and family!

Philip Walsh

February 7, 2015

Allen Bildner was the finest man I ever worked for, and I've continued to use what he taught me throughout my career. He was principled, brilliant, hard working, devoted to his associates, and he knew the business better than anyone else. He created and nourished a culture that allowed talent to flourish. He led by example, and was quick to admit to his mistakes, correcting them, and moving forward. Kings was without competition during the 80's, a time when supermarket executives from as far away as Germany and Japan, and as close as Rochester, New York, flew into Newark Airport on a regular basis to see what we were up to. While many in our market tried to imitate us, none succeeded, failing to understand that the difference wasn't the architecture or the equipment or the offerings...it was the people, all working in that positive culture. You had his undivided attention when you spoke with him, and if you had something of value, he gave you his thoughts as to how best to move the idea forward. If he thought it had little value, he told you so, doing so in such a way that would never inhibit you from presenting another idea in the future. He was a natural born leader, and had he remained in active leadership, he would have grown Kings into New York Metro's commanding marketshare, because in spite of higher prices, Kings customers came from every walk of life, the common denominator being they understood value, which is what was delivered. He will be missed by many, and to Rob in particular, my deepest sympathies.

February 6, 2015

Isaiah 2 5verse8 said that God will swallow up death for ever I hope this gives you comfort

G. Freeman

February 6, 2015

It can be so hard to face the first year without your loved one, but the love of family and friends can carry you through.

February 6, 2015

He was an honest person. Sam. Carollo

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