BERTRAM LESSER

LESSER--Bertram I.,

of Boca Raton, FL and formerly of Mamaroneck, NY, passed away peacefully on January 27, 2017. He was 94. Bert was born to Samuel Lesser and Mayme Moss Lesser in the Bronx on May 27, 1922. Legend has it he was delivered on the family's kitchen table. He entered City College at age 16 and graduated in 1942 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. After serving proudly in the Army as a bombsite specialist, he worked at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT. Soon thereafter, he left to start his own business, Duralite Company, designing and manufacturing aluminum rulers and army cots from a Brooklyn storefront. As Duralite grew, Bert moved the business to Passaic, NJ, and became a major designer and manufacturer of outdoor furniture and other aluminum products. He was thrilled to find out that the Aluminum Racing Sled he designed in 1956 is now in the Brooklyn Museum. A life-long athlete and Yankees fan, Bert's love of sports began with stick-ball on the streets of New York City. As an avid tennis player, he found a second home at Armonk Tennis Club. Taking up golf at age 70, he was known for both his prodigious tee shots and eight-foot gimmes. A lover of classical music and opera, music could always be heard emanating from his home in Mamaroneck. Bert played the recorder with an ensemble, and built a harpsichord from scratch for his wife Mimi. Although a world traveler, his happiest times were spent in his backyard on Stonewall Lane, in the company of his dear friends and neighbors. Bert is survived by his wife, Mimi Korach Lesser, of Boca Raton, FL, his daughter, Robin Simon, of Bedford, NY, a daughter-in-law, Carol Burton of Norwalk, CT, and four grandchildren, Jackson, Rosie, Nick and Alizah. A son, Stephen Lesser, predeceased him in 2004. Bert will be remembered for his sense of humor, his integrity, his generosity, his martinis, and as a loving husband, father and friend. He will be missed. A private service will be held this spring in New York.