Morton Robert Shapiro

MORTON ROBERT SHAPIRO, age 73, passed away peacefully on January 11, 2011 at the Rosenthal Hospice residence in Stamford after a seven month battle with lung cancer. Born on August 30, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey, he was the son of the late Julius Shapiro and Elsie Magnes Shapiro. Morton was a longtime resident of Stamford and spent winters in Jupiter, Florida. Mort grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Paterson's Eastside High School in 1955. After high school, he worked for the accounting firm Simon H. Strickler & Co while attending Rutgers University at night in pursuit of a bachelor's degree in accounting, which he received in 1960. He later joined the Army National Guard and was stationed at Ft. Dix before being honorably discharged. In 1962, Morton passed the C.P.A. exam and worked as an accountant for Xerox, Beker Industries, and Publicker Industries. He retired after serving as the controller for Publicker Industries in Greenwich. Mort dedicated much of his retirement to volunteering in the Jewish community of Stamford, serving on the Boards of Congregation Agudath Sholom, The Jewish Community Center, and the United Jewish Federation among others. He was also the President of the Louis J. Kuriansky foundation, a charitable organization in Stamford, and long time Treasurer at the Regency Towers Apartments in Stamford. A lifetime investor, Mort enjoyed following the financial markets daily and was also an avid sports fan, especially of tennis. He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Joyce Backer Shapiro, and their three sons and daughters-in-law Jeffrey S. Shapiro and Wendy H. Clapp-Shapiro of New York City, Richard M. Shapiro and Nancy L. Shapiro of Glenview, Illinois, and David T. Shapiro and Amanda A. Shapiro of Stamford. Mort adored his 7 grandchildren, Emma, Charlotte, Joseph, Nathan, Noah, Madeline and Zachary. He is also survived by his sister Barbara J. Shapiro of Hackensack, NJ and his brother Bernard S. Shapiro of New York City. The funeral ceremony will be held at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford on January 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Agudath Sholom cemetery in Stamford. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in honor of Mort to the Rosenthal Hospice.