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DONALD ARONSON Obituary
died peacefully in the company of his family on May 8th at the age of 84. Don was a loving and devoted husband, father, and friend who made a remarkable difference in the lives of the people who had the good fortune to know him. He will be remembered always for his extraordinary generosity, unfailing compassion and wonderful sense of humor. Don was a partner at Arthur Young & Company for 19 years, beginning in 1970, where his work included supervising the accounting services for many notable clients including The Beatles and Ray Charles. From 1989 to 1992, he continued as a partner at Ernst & Young where he served as head of Marketing, and later founded his own marketing and business consulting firm, D.E. Aronson Associates, LLC. Don earned a BA from Dartmouth College, class of 1955 and an MBA from Columbia University. He was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and recipient of the Montgomery Prize and the New York State Society of CPAs Award and served honorably in the United States Air Force while stationed in Casablanca, Morocco. Don is survived by his wife, Joan Gelman, and his children Nancy (Eric) Chilton, Helaine (John) Winer, his grandchildren Matthew, Alexandra, Madeline, and Elyse, his step-sons, Josh (Christina Leijonhufvud) Gelman, and Gregg (Joe Hershberger) Gelman, and granddaughter Eva. He was predeceased by his first wife, Margery Roth Aronson and by his sister, Joyce Dorfman. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Don's memory be made to The Coalition for the Homeless. A memorial gathering will be held at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel, 1076 Madison Avenue on Friday, May 11, 2018, at 1:30pm and the family will host a reception at his daughter's home immediately following until 5pm and again from 6 to 9pm.
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Memories and Condolences
for DONALD ARONSON
John Baldwin MD
June 13, 2018
Don's fellow Dartmouth pals from the great class of 1955 join in sending love and compassion to his entire family. A life well-lived in honor, service and dedication to honesty, ethics and loved ones.
May 15, 2018
To the Family and Friends of Donald Aronson,
I am deeply sorry for your loss.
May 15, 2018
To the family, please accept my deepest condolences. May all find strength and rest from Almighty God during this time.
Porter
May 14, 2018
I wish to offer my condolences,sorry for your loss. "May the God who gives hope fill you with all joy and peace by your trusting in him, so that you may abound in hope with power of holy spirit"
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Lisa Imundo
May 13, 2018
We are sending condolences to the Chilton Family -and to Alexandra on the loss of her Grandfather - we are sorry we did not get to meet him but we know him through his amazing family. With warm regards -
Lisa, Jonathan, Julia and Francesca Barasch
Denise Theriault
May 12, 2018
My condolences to the Aronson family.
I met Don early in my career at AY/EY in Boston, and after I moved on and to New York, he was quick to welcome me as family, warmly remembering AY/EY stories. We continued to connect through LMA, with Don always greeting me with a big smile, sharing his wisdom, respect and humor.
Don, may you rest in peace.
Donald Almeida
May 11, 2018
I worked with Don after he started his own firm of Aronson & Heintz and than for many years thereafter. He was the consummate professional and in many ways a mentor to me. I remember him fondly - he was a " great guy " . I extend my sincere condolences to his wife and family. We have lost one of the good guys and there are so few left. Don Almeida ( formerly with Price Waterhouse and PwC )
Bob Hagemann
May 11, 2018
Thank you for the positive impact you had on the lives of so many!
Rest in peace.
Lauren Piccolo-Ingram
May 11, 2018
I met Don through the Legal Marketing Association when I had just started out in the industry. Even through Don was in a professional league tiers above me, he treated me with great professional respect which I will always remember. He had the loveliest way with people and always had a smile on his face. My condolences to the Aronson family.
Don Sherman
May 10, 2018
A friend for 75 years, Donny was my pal, living maybe 8 houses apart on the same street in Newton as children, we attended the same grade and high schools, summer camp and each other's bar mitzvahs and weddings.
At 15, our dads took turns teaching us to drive, so then, Saturday Night as teenagers, we could borrow one of their cars for "double-dating."
Raising our families and building careers on separate coasts, we had only three or four meetings in recent decades, each a precious treasure to me rare opportunities to share our affection for each other and our reminiscences. Too few relationships were as meaningful and formative to me.
My heartfelt condolences to all Donald E. Aronson's family and friends.
Jim Walker
May 10, 2018
Dear Joan and Family
My deepest condolences on your loss. This is a sad time to reflect for all who knew and worked with him. Such a rare talent for connecting personally with everyone he met. He contributed greatly to my business success as he consulted to my business after our EY days. I most treasure his contribution to my better understanding of class, principle and kindness. His humor was contagious. It really was and will remain an honor to call Donald my very good friend.
Best wishes,
Jim Walker
Bruce Heintz
May 10, 2018
Don and I worked together both at Arthur Young and, later for ten years, in an industry-leading consulting practice. Don was an innovator even though he played down that and his many other talents and strengths. He was devoted to Joan. And the dogs. He was a friend and a supporter, mentor and coach to many professionals. Certainly, a prince of a man and, as we used to say at AY, a class act. My deep sympathies to Joan and the families.
Andrea Stimmel
May 10, 2018
I have known Don for nearly 40 years. We both started at accounting firms and moved to law firms. He always greeted me with a warm hello, like a family member. We are so fortunate that he remained engaged with professional services marketing. I will miss he participation in LMA. I will always remember his kind words of encouragement throughout my career. Rest in peace my dear friend.
Andrea
Haren Bhatt
May 10, 2018
My sincere condolences to the family.
Don was among the nicest people at AY/EY. I had the privilege to work with him since 1972 until his retirement. We used to catch-up post-EY days once or twice a year. I and countless others will miss Don.
May he find Nirvana.
May 10, 2018
Dear Nancy and Laine, my heart goes out to you both as well as your families on the loss of your dad, one of my oldest and dearest friends. Regretably, we didn't see each other as often as I would have liked, but we did communicate occasionally and he will be missed. My sincerest condolences.
Ed Rosen
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