Julian E. AvRutick

1935 - 2020
Julian E. AvRutick, 85, who was known for his big personality, generosity, and sense of humor, died in Charleston, SC, on July 27 after a short illness. He is survived by Alice, his wife of 63 years, daughter Sharon (Joseph Wallace), son David (Kay Newman), and four beloved grandchildren Shana, Jacob, Morgan, and Benjamin, as well as his uncle/brother Louis and sister Judith Weinman.

Julian was born in Montreal in 1935. He graduated from Baron Byng High School, where he starred on the basketball team, and Sir George Williams College. As a camp counselor in the Adirondacks, he met Alice Gilbert. They married in 1957, honeymooned on Cape Cod, and moved to Toronto. He worked selling Fuller brushes, among other jobs, before landing in advertising with Young & Rubicam.

When the family, now including Sharon and David, relocated to Harrison, NY, in 1964, Julian began his life on Madison Ave. He rose through the ranks at Y&R, going on to run their offices in Los Angeles and Mexico City. He returned to NYC in 1973 to start his own firm, then called Ammirati Puris AvRutick. Their first client was BMW (for whom they created the famed slogan "The Ultimate Driving Machine"). After another stint at Y&R, AvRutick dove into the software business with DSI Datatrak Systems.

During the 1990s, Julian and Alice began to spend more time on Cape Cod, buying a house on Wellfleet's Lieutenant Island. Julian loved biking, swimming, kayaking, walking miles on the beach, relaxing on the deck with a book, and marveling at the sunsets.

After five decades in Harrison, they relocated to Charleston to be closer to David and his family. Julian enjoyed the city's kind people, beauty, and delicious food, especially from Kay's kitchen.

He devoted himself to Alice's care and helped David create the memory day center Alice's Clubhouse in Mt. Pleasant. This superb facility offers care for people with dementia and their caregivers alike. He deeply wished for it to be a wild success.

Julian had a knack for connecting with people, always quick with a joke. At ease anywhere in the world, he found great pleasures close to home, chatting with the other "geezers" on a park bench or reading in the sun. He dug deep into conversations about politics, business, and sports, and was generous with his time, advice, and good deeds.

Family was his greatest source of joy. As iconoclastic as he could be, he wanted his grandchildren to call him "Zeide," continuing his family tradition. He was deeply engaged in all of their lives, attending their events, reading together, or just being silly.

He would have loved to have seen Election Day come and go and know that change was coming. To the end he remained passionate about baseball, watching his favorite team (the Mets) beat his second favorite (the Red Sox). In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association and would like to encourage everyone to support Alice's Clubhouse.