MURRAY LIEBOWITZ

LIEBOWITZ--Murray,

of Boca Raton, Florida and South Egremont, Massachusetts, died at home surrounded by family on Monday, December 1st, 2014. He was 86. Mr. Liebowitz was born in Manhattan on September 4th, 1928 to Lena and Henry Liebowitz. His father ran a hotel in the Catskills, The Pine Grove Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, New York, and Murray spent many summers helping him do so. His business acumen came naturally and he had great successes in his career through a variety of activities ranging from selling eggs (Jersey June Eggs) to commercial real estate (MSL Management) to trading on the stock market. (He always said the best eggs to buy were large and brown -never white or extra large.) Murray and his wife Patti (1934-2013) had an appreciation for good food and memorable parties. Together, they dined in restaurants throughout Europe and ate meals prepared in their homes by world-renowned chefs and Murray was a certified member of the food and wine society called the Chaine des Rotisseurs. The parties they hosted on many special occasions--at Blantyre in Lenox, Massachusetts, and at their homes in the Berkshires and south Florida--were always memorable. Their New Year's Eve parties, with the best champagne from Murray's extensive cellar and caviar from Zabar's, annually kicked off the years in style for their family and friends. But they also sat down every night at 6:30, with each other and often other family members, to a home-made meal in their kitchen that followed the "rules of the Chaine" on a properly set table. Murray was proud of his Jewish heritage and embraced its tradition of philanthropy throughout his life. Patti and he supported many worthy causes, including American Friends of Torah B'Yisrael -affiliated with a New Jersey synagogue that educated his children when he was just starting out, the Anti-Defamation League, and Women in Distress of Broward County. He was deeply committed to the value of higher education, and his greatest support was devoted to his daughter Suzanne's alma mater, Simon's Rock College of Bard in the Berkshires, where he served for thirty years, first as a member and then as vice-president of the Board of Overseers; and to Bard College in New York, where he was a member of the Board of Trustees for more than twenty years. His many gifts to Simon's Rock provided essential support to its annual fund, scholarship, endowment, and building projects-- including the construction of the Liebowitz Arts and Humanities Center and the Liebowitz Center for International Studies, establishment of the Murray Liebowitz and the Lena Liebowitz Scholarships. His support of Bard College and the initiatives of its president, Leon Botstein, were also extensive. Murray developed and nurtured numerous friendships throughout his life -many lasting a lifetime. Their support and love for Murray enriched his life immensely, just as his life has enriched theirs. He leaves them behind along with a family that loves him. He is survived by his children, Howard Liebowitz, Sheldon Liebowitz, Susan Rindner, Suzanne Klimek and Pamela Palumbo; and his grandchildren Bryan, Justin and Lauren Rindner; Nicole Liebowitz; and Zachary and Michael Palumbo. Arrangements for a spring memorial are pending. Mourners may honor his memory through an act of philanthropy to any of the organizations listed above or one of their choosing.