Herb Levenberg, rear, third from left, with his family at the dedication of the Y’s Levenberg Picnic Grounds, for which they provided funding for the renovation and re-equipment.
Herb Levenberg, former president of the Union Y, died on Nov. 30.
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December 11, 2008
When Herb Levenberg was named Man of the Year by the YM-YWHA of Union County back in 1976, he said that while science and technology were changing modern life, what stayed the same was the human need for connection. He was an electrical contractor by profession, but the focus of his life was supporting that social bond.
Levenberg, who died on Nov. 30 at the age of 82, was the third generation of his family to be involved with the Union Y. A Mountainside resident in recent years, he moved to Sunrise Assisted Living in Westfield, but he grew up in Elizabeth and lived in Union for many years. The Y was a central part of his life, as it had been for his parents and grandparents and has been for his children and grandchildren.
He served as its president from 1977 to 1979, and watched with pride as his son, David, followed in his footsteps (1999-2001), and then his daughter-in-law, Linda Ershow-Levenberg (2005-07). He himself continued to head up the Y’s Century Club until frail health stopped him last year.
Last year, he and his second wife, Roberta, watched with pride the dedication of the Levenberg Family Picnic Grounds at the Y, refurbished with a gift from David and Linda. Staff members are dedicating a bush in the grounds in his memory, with a plaque from his “friends on the Y staff.”
Staff members are dedicating a bush in the grounds in his memory, with a plaque from his “friends on the Y staff.”
Speaking at the funeral, David said, “Dad had the special gift of being able to talk to anyone, and the even more special gift of really truly listening to them. He liked people and he cared about them.”
He went on to say his father was his role model as a husband, community leader, and professional. “In all my doings I try to behave ethically, morally, and honestly, because my dad was the most ethical, most moral, and most honest person I have ever known.”
Afterward, he said, “I don’t feel as if we’re mourning him so much as celebrating a life well lived.”
Joe Resnick was president of the Y in 1944 and knew Herb from the time he came to the Y as a youngster. “He was a really nice guy — always pleasant, always friendly,” he said.
Bryan Fox, the Y’s executive director, came on board in 1986, just as the organization was coming out of a near collapse. “Herb was very central to the efforts to save the Y,” he said. “He was a wonderful man, and very approachable. He was always a peacemaker.”
After graduating from high school in 1944, Levenberg joined the United States Navy and saw action in the Pacific. He was on board the U.S.S. Missouri to witness General Douglas MacArthur preside over the Japanese surrender.
After the war, he married Lois Goldstein and they raised two daughters and two sons. In 1952, he and his brother Milton founded Atlas Electric Service, which he ran until his retirement in the mid 1990s, when his son, Paul, took over. He served as president of the Union County Electrical Contractors Association and was an officer and volunteer for many other community organizations, including the Elmora Hebrew Center in Elizabeth, where he served as president.
After Lois passed away in 1983, Herb married Roberta Phillips, and together they continued the family’s tradition of hospitality and community service.
Herb is survived by Roberta; his children, Tobi Kaplan, David and Paul Levenberg, and Judi Stern, and their spouses, Clyde Kaplan, Linda Ershow-Levenberg, Janine Levenberg, and Mont Stern; his stepchildren, Jonathan Phillips, Randy Wenarsky, and Richard Phillips, and their spouses, Janie Phillips, Jack Wenarsky, and Andrea Phillips; his 15 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
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