Edward Cutler

CUTLER, Edward I., 93, of Miami, formerly of Tampa, passed away Wednesday, October 4, 2006, in Dade County, Fla. He was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Cutler. He was preceded in death by his brother, A. Budd Cutler; and sister, Annie Baranoff. He is survived by his sisters, Helen Avchin of Jacksonville and Sophie Domb of Redding, Calif.; and brother, Martin A. Cutler of Miami Beach. Also surviving are his three children, Janet Kossman (Robert) of Denver, Colo., Edward "Buddy" Cutler (Donna) of Tampa and Robin Cutler-Levine (Robert) of Pittsburgh, Pa.; six grand-children, Adam Cutler (Caroline) of Wynnewood, Pa., Sydney Cutler-Abich (Nasar) of West Hollywood, Calif., Samantha Tanenholtz (Bruce) of Denver, Colo., Kip Kossman of Olympic Valley, Calif., Marisa Levine of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Jeremy Levine of Pittsburgh, Pa.; two great-granddaughters, Molly Cutler and Noa Cutler; a great-grandson, Spencer Tanenholtz; as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; and his good friend and former secretary, Mary Lou Harden. He will also be missed by his family of caregivers, including Mayra Nunez, Carlos "Freddy" Santos and Miguel Soto. A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Ed resided in Haddonfield, N.J., before moving to Tampa in 1944. He lived in Tampa and Hillsborough County until earlier this summer, when he relocated to Dade County. Ed graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He served as editor of the Law Review and was a member of The Order of the Coif. In 1938 he married Roseline Adams of Philadelphia. He clerked for Chief Justice John Kephart of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania prior to serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He came to Tampa as an executive with McCloskey & Co., a Philadelphia company owning a shipyard on Hooker's Point. After the war, he spent a short period of time in the real estate and insurance business. He commenced his legal career in Florida as a sole practitioner in 1947. In 1961 he joined the Tampa law firm, Mabry, Reaves, Carlton, Fields & Ward, later Carlton, Fields, Ward, Emmanuel, Smith & Cutler, P.A. (now known as Carlton Fields, P.A.), where he practiced until his retirement in 2001. Other accomplishments during his illustrious legal career include membership and subsequent presidency of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Commercial Finance Association and distinguished service as a member of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. He was a member of the American, Florida, Tampa and Hillsborough County bar associations, having served on and chaired a number of committees over the years. He served on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. He chaired the ABA's Federal Judicial Improvements Committee during the contentious Congressional challenge to the federal courts. In 1991 he was awarded the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation's 50-Year Award. In addition, he was active in the Tampa and State of Florida B'nai B'rith lodges, Congregation Schaarai Zedek, United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the Tampa Jewish Federation. Ed loved to travel and, accompanied by family members, visited more than 100 countries. He spent much of his later years learning how to use the computer and internet, researching family histories and writing his autobiography as well as several unpublished books. A memorial service to commemorate Ed's life will take place at 2 p.m. November 5, 2006, at Congregation Schaarai Zedek, 3303 W. Swann Ave., Tampa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the charity of your choice. An online guestbook is available at www.segalfuneralhome.com