EDWARD MERRIN

MERRIN--Edward H. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Edward H. Merrin. Ed was a creative, passionate, and loyal husband, father, friend, artist, and businessman. He was peerless in his love of family, and possessing an exquisite eye, as ultimately manifested in the spectacular gardens he created at his home in Westchester. Born in Brooklyn in 1928 to Joseph and Esther Merrin, Ed was the older brother to Seymour. In 1957 he married Vivian Bienenfeld. They enjoyed 62 loving years together, raising four children in New York City. After graduating Tufts University, Ed joined his father's jewelry company, designing items so unique that they were quickly adapted by other jewelry companies worldwide. He also reimagined the marketing of jewelry by creating one of the first, fine jewelry direct mail catalogs. His career as an art dealer began after a customer made an offer to purchase a pre-Columbian bowl he had bought on his honeymoon, which was being used in the jewelry store to display a necklace. He was one of the first art dealers to promote pre-Columbian art in the early 1960s. He became renowned as one of the world's premier ancient art dealers, creating museum-quality exhibitions. Numerous pieces passing through his gallery are now display in museums and major collections around the world. Ed was an active philanthropist engaged with many institutions, including the Israel Museum, Tufts University, JDC, New York Botanical Gardens, and NYU Langone, among others. Many people in need benefited from his and Vivian's individual, often anonymous help and generosity. He loved to collect beautiful things: art, plants, books, and toys. He had a brilliant, eclectic, multi-generational group of friends that visited and communicated with him till the very end. But, what he described as his greatest accomplishment was the loving, tight-knit family that he built with his wife Vivian. Edward Merrin accomplished so much during his 91 and a half years on this planet and yet there was still so much more he wanted to achieve. He approached life with wisdom and a sense of humor. He taught us all about life, love, family and appreciating the beauty in the world. Ed is survived by his children Jeremy and Linda, Seth, Esther, Moshe, Sam and Holly, grandchildren Maya and Amos, Jason and Rachel, Ariel and Noam, Rellian, Isabel, Jacob, Jonathan, Ben, Charlotte, Noah and Nathan and great-grandson Adam. Donations can be made to the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). We will miss him deeply.