Berton Barnett Subrin

1933 - 2022

SUBRIN Berton Barnett Subrin (1933-2022) Bert was smart, funny, gentle, and charming to the end. He passed away on January 9, 2022, a week before his 89th birthday. Bert was born January 15, 1933, in Akron, Ohio to Gertrude Barnett Subrin and Hyman Samuel Subrin. He spent his childhood in Akron and graduated from Buchtel High School. He proceeded to Harvard College, class of 1954, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Bert created a new freshman newspaper called the Yardling during college, to which famous authors contributed. He also tutored student athletes during college. After college, he attended Harvard Law School where he was on the Law Review and the Board of Student Advisors and graduated cum laude in 1957. Quick of mind and body, Bert was always ready with a pun delivered perfectly. Bert was an avid squash player and musician. His musical prowess on the piano and oboe served him well as his fingers swept across the keys of the typewriter (98 words a minute!) when he served as a clerk typist in the U.S. Army. Bert worked for almost 40 years at the National Labor Relations Board, holding many positions including Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Board, and Director of the Office of Representation Appeals. Bert became one of the leading authorities on legal questions related to federal labor law, and labor lawyers throughout the country frequently consulted him. Bert prided himself on his impartiality and was a presidential appointee under both Democratic and Republican administrations. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Employment Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Upon his retirement from the NLRB in 1996, Bert became Director of Membership and Agency Liaison at the Senior Executives Association, where he encouraged talented leaders to remain at work as civil servants for the federal government. Bert also enjoyed teaching English as a Second Language, first in Maryland and later in Virginia. He was such an efficient and effective worker, peers said he did a week's work in a day. So devoted to his family, he was always home for dinner and driving carpools. To balance his speed and efficiency, Bert embraced Transcendental Meditation before it was hip and learned to slow down and enjoy life in his later years. Bert was committed to fairness in his work, in his personal dealings, and as it relates to the world. Bert was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He and his family lived in the Washington, DC suburbs from the early 1960s until his death. In 1962, Bert married Renee Kluger of Wyoming, PA, and they had two daughters, Eve and Laura. (They divorced after 30 years of marriage.) Bert is survived by Renee Subrin, Eve Williams, and Laura Yeager, and grandchildren Rebecca, Caroline, and Benjamin Williams, Nic, Harrison, and Gwyneth Yeager. In 1996, Bert married Madge Jefferson, to whom he remained happily married until his death. He is survived by Madge Jefferson, two stepdaughters, Patricia Moran and Anne Marie Davis, and their children Riley, Casey, and Abbey Moran, and Raine Davis. Bert is also survived by his brother, Stephen Subrin, and wife Joan. There will be a private Zoom service for close friends and family in late January. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or the American Cancer Society. There will be a private Zoom service for close friends and family in late January. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or the American Cancer Society.