Arthur Axelrod passed away on March 14, 2026, at the age of 88. He will be remembered by his family as the best father and grandfather in the world, a lover of art and history and a world traveler who visited 6 of the 7 continents.
He was born in 1937 in the Bronx to Nathan and Yetta Axelrod (nee Schulder). All four of his grandparents were immigrants from Eastern Europe in what is now Ukraine.
He and his beloved wife, Jeanette, were together for more than 60 years. Jeanette predeceased him in 2019.
Arthur is survived by his son, Michael Axelrod (wife Stefanie), and his daughter, Marianne Case. He was a proud grandfather to Michael’s children, Milo Axelrod and Lydia Axelrod, Marianne’s children, Benjamin Case and Adam Case, and his cousin Saul Raw. He was preceded in death by Marianne’s husband, Jin Case.
Art attended Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he pursued a PhD. Art left academia to take a position at Xerox in the Webster Research Center.
Arthur was an early pioneer of the Internet. Having first been active in the Arpanet at RPI, he worked closely with researchers at the Xerox Research Center in Palo Alto as early Internet technologies were being developed. He won a President’s Award at Xerox for building the company’s Intranet which was one of the first corporate Intranets in the world.
Art was a lover of music, and after retirement he was very active in the Opera Guild of Rochester. He was Rochester famous for his “Beat the Blahs” talks where he taught people about Opera in local libraries and community centers. He was a particular fan of Wager’s Ring Cycle and he and Jeanette went to see Opera productions all over the world. Favorites were the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown NY.
Arthur will be remembered for his steady presence, his thoughtful perspective, and his love of literature, history, and the arts. He was so proud of his children and grandchildren and said many times in his later years that he felt blessed to have lived a full life.
Funeral Services will be held on SUNDAY March 22, 2026 at 1 PM in Temple Sinai [363 Penfield Road]. CLICK HERE for a map to Temple. Following the service, there will be a gathering at the temple until 4:00pm.
For those unable to attend in person, please CLICK HERE to Livestream the service.
The family will sit Shiva on Monday [March 23rd] from 3 – 8 PM at 8 Northwood Drive in Fairport. CLICK HERE for a map to Shiva.
