Brighton: Passed away on January 6, 2023 at age 98. Predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Evelyn; grandchildren, Patrick Barry & Brian Gold; son-in-law, James Anderson; sister, Eleanor Lipschutz; . He is survived by his devoted children, Wendy (Philip) Barry, Eileen Anderson, Steven (Karen Boeschen-Gold) Gold, Marian (Kevin) Considine, Sharon (Clark) Johnson; adored grandchildren, Joshua Barry, Matthew (Gabby) Barry, Anne (Mark) Stephens, Eric (Sara) Anderson, Dana (Adam) Gent, Kelsey (Jacob) Jarrold, Daniel & Timothy (Sierra Streeter) Gold, Nick, Jacob (Karina Martinez) & Allison Considine, William & Carly Johnson; 9 great grandchildren; many nieces & nephews; dear friend, Peggy Buckel
Don lived a charmed life. A great life.
He was a successful businessman, he had a beautiful wife, Evelyn, a loving long marriage and children who adored him. He traveled the world first in luxury as a perk from the Sylvania Electronics Company and later without Sylvania but always with Evelyn by his side. When he was young he attended Purdue University and lived in the Jewish Fraternity house. He didn’t have much money. He was drafted to serve in WWII and after a mix up that had him left behind when his unit set off for Europe, the Army unsure what to do with him, looked at his records and saw he had a very high IQ. They kept him stateside and had him doing administrative work until the war ended. He returned to Purdue University and got his degree in Electrical Engineering. His family had moved around a lot during his youth, he attended Brooklyn Science High school, Niagara Falls High school and East High in Rochester. After the war he returned to Rochester and founded American Electronics, an electronics distributorship, with a partner. He eventually bought out his partner and changed the name to Goldcrest Electronics. When asked why he added crest to his name he said he just liked the sound of it! He grew his business until he had 5 stores across NY state. He was a modern thinker and alway interested in the new trends and models for business. He ran his five stores like franchises, with the Rochester Store being the main supplier to the other four stores. He added a computer system early in the age of computing so he needed a clean room large enough for a main frame computer!
He had an amazing zest for life. He loved his friends and family and enjoyed planning and hosting lavish parties to celebrate almost any occasion, his anniversaries every five to ten years, he also liked to throw parties for milestone birthdays. He put a swimming pool in his yard and he loved weekends with the pool full of kids and his friends and neighbors over for icy whiskey sours poolside.
He was a generous philanthropist and he eagerly did what he could to see institutions he cared about go from conception to completion. Those projects included The Jewish Home, from St. Paul St. to Winton Rd. The JCC from Andrews St. to Edgewood Ave. and the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. He also gave to many, many other organizations.
He was very proud of his family. He lit up when showing pictures of his children, their spouses and many many grandchildren and great grandchildren. His zest for life had him retire at sixty so that he and Evelyn could enjoy decades wintering in Del Rey Florida with friends and family. He was a man who had a lot of pride in his achievements, in his children, the home and family he had built, his contributions to the community and the business he made. He lived a full and happy life for 98 years.
Graveside Services will be held on SUNDAY at 1 PM in Mt. Hope Cemetery. The family will receive friends on SUNDAY FROM 4-7 pm AT 50 Edenfield Rd, Penfield, NY 14526.
