Jacob Greenblatt

Jacob (Jack) Cyril Greenblatt, 93, of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2020 at Hospice of Hamilton after a short period of home health care. Jack Greenblatt was “the last child born on the farm” in Toronto, Canada in April 1927, to Harry Greenblatt and Minnie (Goldberg) Greenblatt, both of whom came with their families as immigrants from Odessa, Russia and London, England, respectively. Jack’s father was a founding member of Toronto’s Knesseth Israel synagogue, known as the “Junction Shul.” Jack had warm memories of attending services with his father and delighted in being able to recently view Google Map pictures of the synagogue as well as his still-existing Toronto neighborhood home that his family moved to when they had to sell the farm. Jack had a challenging childhood growing up during the Depression as one of ten siblings and suffered the loss of both parents before he graduated high school. In order to survive, he developed a fierce independence, strong work ethic and frugality. Jack didn’t have the opportunity for more formal education. In his late teens he worked various jobs including for an undertaker. Jack moved to Detroit, Michigan at the invitation of his older married sister, Sadie Fishman, who “asked if [he] wanted to work in a hardware store.” Shortly thereafter he was conscripted as a draftsman into the United States Army Air Corp, Ninth Air Vehicle Repair Squadron. He served from 1946-1947 and was stationed in the Philippines. He marveled that he was able to “swim in the [South] China Sea.” In October 2015 Jack participated with pride in a Tri-State Honor Flight to Washington, DC, as a WWII Veteran. Upon his military discharge, Jack became a US citizen and continued to work at Fishman Hardware in Detroit for 25 years, becoming a trusted salesperson and manager. He was so dedicated to the enterprise that in July 1967, amidst the height of the Detroit riots, he personally went down to the store to rescue all the paper (pre-computer) financial records. He subsequently managed an ACE Hardware Store in Detroit for another 25 years, getting up at the break of dawn, working six days a week, serving the customer. Jack married “one of the Tutt girls”, Edith, whom he fell in love with as a teenager in Toronto. He was devoted to her throughout their 62-year marriage. They lived in homes in Detroit, Oak Park and Southfield, MI. where they raised two sons and two daughters. They lovingly supported the early care of the grandchildren, babysitting and organizing trips to the park, the zoo and the cider mill; later, attending sporting events, school grandparents’ days and graduations. Later in life they became “snowbirds”, acquiring a condo in Delray Beach, Florida where Jack joined Edith in the winter months when he was still working and where they moved year-round for about 15 years after Jack finally retired in his early 70s. After one too many hurricanes in Florida, Jack and Edith decided to leave and move to Cincinnati to be closer to their children in Michigan and Ohio. Jack was passionate about ice hockey as a sport. He played in an amateur league in Detroit until he was 50 years old, reportedly only stopping at that age after Edith insisted, when his nose was broken during a game. He also enjoyed bowling and golf. He was eager to go with Edith on trips – on cruises and travel to California, Hawaii and Northern Michigan and to visit family. He and Edith loved going to Broadway shows (particularly Phantom of the Opera), the Cincinnati Symphony and Opera. Jack accompanied his son and family on many daytrips between Cincinnati and Ann Arbor, MI to attend University of Michigan football, basketball and hockey games. He always got up early to purchase freshly baked bagels with tuna and egg salad to take for lunch on the trip. Although Jack was not a demonstrative person, he took deep satisfaction in the education and successes of his children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He enjoyed spending time in their homes and getting kisses from the canine members of the family, especially Mikey. The secret of Jack’s long life might be attributed to his organization and consistent habits. He liked his food and drink HOT, his daily vitamins and fiber. He relished Red Rose tea with milk and oatmeal raisin cookies that his daughter sent him by the case. He favored his shirts buttoned up and tucked into his jeans and wore spanking white tennis shoes. He appreciated a good haircut and a shave. He was meticulous about his home and skillfully managed his home pantry and storeroom like hardware store inventory. It was only in the last six months of his life that he could no longer physically wash the kitchen floor, do his own laundry and make his own meals. Three things took a toll on Jack in his final years. First and foremost was the death of his beloved wife, Edith in 2014. He took care of her at home during her battle with metastatic lung cancer. Following her death, Jack was resilient and honored Edith by continuing her culinary traditions as long as he was able: using Edith’s recipes to bake “rock” cookies to send to family, making apple pie using Michigan Northern Spy apples for Thanksgiving, cooking her cranberry chicken for family dinners and gifting boxes of fudge from Up North to his neighbors. Secondly, Jack became unable to safely drive. He had always read the daily newspaper to search out shopping bargains across Cincinnati (and read the obituaries). He even went to the Hamilton County Library for help so as not to miss out on Kroger coupons and points as he had no home computer. Jack knew and socialized with the cashiers at his regular haunts, the Kosher butchers, the Costco pharmacist, the employees at the Old World Bakery factory where he picked up his favorite French Toast bagels and pita bread every few weeks. He felt the loss of those social contacts. And, in his last year, the COVID pandemic, unfortunately, further isolated Jack from his neighbors and family. In summer, there was one socially distanced outdoor get-together with his children. In early fall he was able to attend Adath Israel Synagogue’s Virtual High Holy Day services from his son’s home. And a few weeks before his death, he insisted on carrying out his civic duty to vote by mail-in ballot. In addition to his wife, Jack was preceded in death by his brothers: Louis, Osler (aka Usher), David, Sidney and Samuel and his sisters: Sadie, Leah, Freda and Helen. He is survived by his four children: David (Sheila Gelman) Greenblatt of Cincinnati, OH, Wendy (Thomas) Ackerman of Gainesville, FL, Michael (Bonnie) Greenblatt of Rochester, MI and Susan Menenberg of Kirkland, WA; six grandchildren: Daniel W. Ackerman, Deborah E. Ackerman, Danielle (Jacob) White, Samuel L. Greenblatt, Max H. Menenberg and Louis D. Menenberg; and four nieces and nine nephews. People wishing to honor Jack’s life can make donations to: Hospice of Hamilton or Cincinnati Jewish Family Service (JFS).

Tributes

Jacob Greenblatt

April 2, 1927 - November 29, 2020