Joseph David Birnbaum

Joseph David Birnbaum October 12, 1919 - October 22, 2008 COLUMBUS, GA — Joseph David (Jack) Birnbaum, 89, of Columbus, GA died Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at his residence. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m. today, October 24, 2008 in Parkhill Cemetery with Rabbi Max Roth and Dr. Brad Hicks officiating according to Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Macon Road. Mr. Birnbaum was born October 12, 1919 on the Lower East Side of New York to Harry and Mollie Birnbaum who emigrated from Austria, Hungary in 1900. He was the youngest of five children. At the age of six his family moved to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Birnbaum graduated from Boys High School in Brooklyn in 1936; he then attended The City College of New York (CCNY) uptown, where he played football as an end. He graduated in 1940 with a BSS degree and then went to work for Bloomingdales Department Store as an Assistant Buyer in the Linen Department. He volunteered for service in 1940 but was rejected. Later in 1942 Mr. Birnbaum was drafted and served in the U.S. Army in the Transportation Corp serving Troop Transports carrying troops to the European theatre. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1946. He returned to Bloomingdales and then went to work for Harte & Co., a plastic film manufacturer in an administrative position, supervising production scheduling. He moved to Miami, FL in 1960 and managed the Miami office of a wholesaler of all types of rigid plastics. Mr. Birnbaum joined New York Life Insurance Company as an agent in October of 1963 and retired from there in 1997, however, he continued to be active as an independent agent with other companies. Survivors include his loving wife, Mary Anne Butler Birnbaum; a son, Marc (Elaine) Birnbaum of Miami, FL; daughters, Mary Anne (AndrŽ) Brocato, Leslie (Patton) Butler, Cherie (Doug) Duncan; nephews, Paul Draznin of Detroit, MI, Frank (Nancy) Pokorny of Chicago, IL, Julian (Sandy) Birnbaum of Brooklyn, NY; nieces, Paige (Richard) Udell of Swan Lake, MT, Ilsa Draznin of Detroit, MI and Holly (Barry) Kitay of Tucson, AZ; grandchildren, Moshe, (Keren), Esther and Mordecai Birnbaum, Wyatt Brocato, Shaun (Stacy) McGarry, Jack A. Butler, III, Elizabeth Anne Butler; great-grandchildren, Ian McGarry and Heidi Brooke Birnbaum. Please visit www.mem.com to sign the on-line guest registry.