BERNARD FUTTER

FUTTER--Bernard. On May 4, 2024, with his sense of humor and keen intelligence very much intact, our very dear and wonderful husband and father left us. Berney was born on April 27, 1929, in Berlin, Germany. He always said he had a lucky life. That started in 1938 when he escaped Germany with his parents and older brother, Ken and landed in New York City. Berney graduated from Horrace Mann, and Kenyon College and then joined Futter & Co., a wholesale lumber company established by his father. Berney joined the company in 1950, ultimately becoming President and serving until his retirement in 2009. In between, he grew the company into one of the biggest independent wholesalers on the East Coast, competing with such giants as Weyerhaeuser, MacMillan Bloedel, and Georgia Pacific. Berney was one of the biggest cargo importers and was a pioneer in transitioning the company from cargo to rail and into the reload distribution business. He was recognized by his peers as an icon of the industry. His luck continued when he met Bunny Grossman, married in 1956 and created a beautiful family - David (Doreen), Ileana and Jim (Michelle) which expanded with the arrivals of Alison, Lauren, Marlee, Sydney, Max and Marissa. In between there was travel, the arts, skiing, tennis and good times spent with good friends and wonderful Westhampton Beach. Berney was a devoted family man and loved time spent with siblings and in-laws, Jerry and Barbara Grossman, Ken and Lynn Futter, nieces and nephews. He will be missed and loved forever.