LIONEL EPSTEIN

EPSTEIN LIONEL CHARLES EPSTEIN Died in Washington, DC, after a short illness, just two days shy of his 93rd birthday, in the company of his wife Elizabeth and his extended family. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on April 7, 1924 and died on April 5, 2017. The youngest child of David Epstein, who was born in Russia, and Carrie Roth Epstein from Lithuania, he grew up in Manhattan, and was selected to attend Peter Stuyvesant High School. He had an older sister Muriel, and an older brother Jules who died soon after birth. His mother came from a family of medical and engineering professionals, and took him to art museums, concerts and operas, not always willingly by his account, while his father was a former labor organizer and a self-made businessman. He was inspired by both. When his father was shot in a hold-up during the Depression, the family suffered a financial setback, but recovered in the following decades.

After graduating from Stuyvesant in 1941, Mr. Epstein enrolled in New York University. But at age 18, at the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army, not wanting to "miss the War". Assigned to the Army's Specialized Training Program (ASTP), he studied engineering at Ball State Teachers College. His 102nd Infantry Division (the "Ozarks"), 104th Regiment, deployed early due to the casualties of D-Day, as a part of the Ninth Army. Wounded in combat in Germany during the campaigns in the Ardennes and the Rhineland, he earned two battle stars, a combat infantryman's badge and a Purple Heart.

At the end of the War, Mr. Epstein re-enrolled at New York University, graduating in 1947, and then attended Harvard Law School, class of 1950. He accepted an offer from a New York law firm, but deferred for assignments with the Department of the Navy in the Office of the General Counsel (1950-1952), and in the Department of Justice in the tax division (1953-1957). In June 1951 he married his first wife, Sarah (Sally) Gamble, and they decided to remain in Washington, where they raised their five children. Mr. Epstein was admitted to the Bar in New York (1950) and in Washington, DC (1951), and at the Supreme Court (1954). After government service, Mr. Epstein joined the law firm Ginsburg and Leventhal (1957-1967), and then co-founded what later became Epstein, Friedman, Duncan and Medalie (1967-1974), specializing in federal and international tax. In 1974, he became a partner at Jones, Day Reavis and Pogue.

During these years of international travel and global initiatives, Mr. Epstein served as a special assistant to Sargent Shriver for the Peace Corps (1962); and on numerous boards, including the Washington Opera Society, the Experiment in International Living, the Committee for Prints and Illustrated Books at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the DC Chapter of the International Wine and Food Society (president 1975-1979).

While in law school, Mr. Epstein discovered the art of the then-little-known Norwegian Edvard Munch. He became a sensitive connoisseur of his graphic works, admiring his evocations of primal human emotions. His wife Sally was attracted to the artist's social themes. Together they formed the most extensive collection of Munch's prints outside Norway, which now is a gift to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. He was knighted by King Olaf of Norway. Mr. Epstein and his first wife separated in 1979, and divorced in 1983.

At this juncture, Lionel Epstein determined a new, more personal and private direction for his life and work. He became Of Counsel at Jones Day, and in 1983 founded with his son James a small family investment business, building on his work on behalf of his family over the prior three decades. In autumn 1987, Mr. Epstein was introduced to his wife Elizabeth Pendleton Streicher, an art historian and curator, through their shared interest in later 19th-century European and Scandinavian art. They married in November 1990.

The family business was relationship-based. Lionel Epstein was principled and creative in structuring deals, and had an uncanny instinct for spotting opportunities and for picking good people. Charming, erudite and always willing to offer wise counsel, he treasured his family and friends. Broad-gauged and articulate, he shared his pleasures in food, wine, art, music, fly-fishing and his favorite books. He and Elizabeth delighted in travel to New York City and abroad to visit museums, and vacationed throughout the U.S. with family. They became passionate Washington Nationals fans. Ever inclusive, Mr. Epstein embraced social change, and especially enjoyed conversations with inquiring and empathetic younger family. While continuing to go to the office to the last, he met every day with energy and optimism.

Mr. Epstein is survived by his companion and wife of 30 years, Elizabeth; sons, David (Linda), James, Richard (Jennifer Baxendale) and Miles (Susan George); daughter, Sally Anne (Joe Pat Junkin); seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; two former daughters-in-law and former wife, Sally Epstein (Donald Collins). His sister and brother-in-law Muriel and Murray Krebs predeceased him; their son and his family, and their daughter survive him.

Small celebratory gatherings are ongoing.

Should you wish to make a memorial contribution, gifts may be made to the National Gallery of Art designated for "acquisitions by the division of prints and drawings in honor of Lionel Epstein", or to the charity of your choice. Gifts to the Gallery should be addressed to the Department of Development, National Gallery of Art, 2000B South Club Drive, Landover, MD 20785.