Abraham Fishman

FISHMAN--Abraham, 91, of Pompano Beach FL (formerly of Hicksville, L.I.), on May 8, after a long illness. He is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Sylvia; by their three children: Mitchell, of Litchfield, CT (spouse Mary Ellen Spiegel), Lois of Los Angeles, CA (spouse Henry D. Fetter), and Sheila, of New Paltz, NY; and by three grandchildren: Danielle, Matthew and Jeremy. He also leaves his two sisters, Sylvia Shapiro and Natalie Lindseth; a brother, Harold, predeceased him. A native of the Bronx, Abe graduated from the City College of New York in 1937 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1945, including 17 months in France as an intelligence and public relations specialist; his wartime service marked the beginning of a long love affair with French literature and culture. After the war, Abe worked as a field examiner for the U.S. Bureau of Internal Revenue and received his law degree from NYU Law School, which honored him with the Benjamin F. Butler prize. In 1954, he also earned a master's of law (LL.M.) degree in taxation from NYU. Abe practiced law for more than 40 years, first in Manhattan with the firm of Simons, Schur & Straus, then independently and, starting in the 1970s, in Mineola, L.I., primarily in the fields of taxation, real estate development and estate planning. Among his clients were several prominent television personalities. For many years, he also taught business law as an adjunct professor at Dowling College (Oakdale campus) and the NY Institute of Technology. After moving to Long Island in 1955, Abe was active in civic affairs in Hicksville, and served as a member and president (1967-1968) of the Hicksville Public Library board. He was a life-long lover of books, classical music, jazz, dance and the arts generally. Memorial service at 1pm Monday, May 11, at Gutterman's Memorial Chapel, 8000 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury, L.I. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Disease Research (www2.AHAF.org/goto/ Abraham) or Vitas hospice, 5420 N.W. 33rd Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309.