Lionel Borkan

Lionel Borkan, a longtime resident of New Vernon, New Jersey, passed away on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. He was one hundred years old. Lionel was a World War II veteran, gifted bio chemist, and pharmaceutical industry pioneer. He is survived by daughter Marjorie Hersch and her husband Daryl, son James Borkan and his wife Barbara, and their children Zachary Borkan and Leah Borkan Fairey and her husband Parker Fairey. Lionel was predeceased by his beloved wife, Florence Borkan, and daughters Amy Freedman and Sharai Freedman. He was the brother of the late Sherman Borkan and Gerald Borkan. Lionel was born in Newark in 1924. He joined the Army Air Corps after Pearl Harbor at age 18. He served in North Africa and trained B-25 pilots in skip bombing and torpedo launching techniques. Lionel was also a flight crew member, and participated in the infamous raid on the Ploesti oil fields in Romania in May 1944. After the war, Lionel graduated from Ohio University with a B.S. in Chemistry and received a M.S. in Biochemistry from Ohio State. In 1957 he founded Pharmacaps Inc., a publicly-traded company that manufactured drugs, vitamins and soft gelatin products. Lionel touched many lives and was loved by many. He will be tremendously missed by his family and friends. Funeral services will be held at Bernheim-Apter-Krietzman Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Rd., Livingston, on Sunday, August 25 at 1 pm. Donations in Lionel's memory can be made to Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA or The Amy E. and Sharai M. Freedman Memorial Fellowship of McGill University, Montreal.