Fred I. Sonnenfeld

1927 - 2017
Fred Irving Sonnenfeld, of Geneva, NY, died Friday, March 24. He was 89. Born in Detroit to Jewish Hungarian immigrants, Fred was raised in the Bronx, graduated from Bronx Science, City College of New York, and Harvard Law School.

He possessed a handsome face, a brilliant intellect, and an intense love for life and family. A devotee of classical music, movie musicals and The New York Times, which, for nearly 75 years, he read daily cover to cover (except the sports section), Fred gleefully did the Times' crossword in pen.

A superb listener and a strong arm to lean on, Fred always made himself available to help a family member or friend. He loved a great joke and preferred classic films that, like Preston Sturges' films, combined "a great message with a little sex." Those who dined with him were informed that a meal was better when accompanied by fresh beefsteak tomatoes and steamed corn on the cob and that no dessert could ever contain too much lemon or vanilla.

After graduating from law school in 1952, Fred did his military service at Fort Dix, NJ, where an Army buddy set him up with Philadelphia college student Myra Gay Gever. Fred and Myra married in June 1956. The couple lived briefly in Queens before moving to Oceanside and then Rockville Centre to raise a family. Around this time, Fred paired up with some Harvard friends to establish Young, Sonnenfeld & Busner, a small corporate litigation firm in midtown Manhattan. The firm evolved over the years, eventually becoming Sonnenfeld & Richman, which is how the firm is still known today.

To those who knew Fred well he was gentle, caring, and wore an air of quiet contentment that never failed to soothe or give one hope. Because of his polite speech, calm demeanor and cautious stance, opposing counsel often underestimated him in court, stunned when he would decimate their arguments. One of the highlights of Fred's career occurred in 1976 when he wrote the appellant brief for, and partner Phillip Busner successfully argued, Carey v. Sugar before the U.S. Supreme Court, a rare privilege for even the most experienced litigators.

Fred believed deeply in the power of justice and democracy to create a better world. Even after he retired in 2003, and moved upstate, Fred volunteered for The Court Watch Project, observing proceedings to offer an impartial assessment of local courts' operations, and advocate for a fair and equitable justice system.

In addition to his wife Myra, he is survived by his seven children, seven grandchildren, and a great-grandson. Funeral services will be led by Rabbi Landowne on Sunday, April 2 at 10:30am, Devaney-Bennett Funeral Home, 181 N. Main Street, Geneva, NY 14456. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Court Watch Project, League of Women Voters-Geneva at http://geneva.ny.lwvnet.org. A memorial service will also be held in NYC/LI later this spring.