Birth date: Aug 11, 1922 Death date: Oct 4, 2018
Paul Bleier, 96 passed away October 4, 2018 in Sunrise Florida. Services will be held out of state. Arrangements by Alexander-Levitt Funeral & Cremation 8135 W. McNab Road Tamarac, FL 33321 Read Obituary
Billy Joel’s song goes, “Only the good die young”. Well, that’s not entirely true…..since Dad was truly one of the good guys, and he lived to the grand old age of 96.
He lived an extraordinary life…..a life for which he, and all of us, could and should be proud. In his own quite way, he was truly a remarkable man. He was a kind man, a smart man, an energetic man, a talented and creative man and a great husband and father.
Now, don’t laugh, but Dad would have made a great president of the US. I know, it sounds silly, but he had the ability to see every situation from all different angles, to consider everyone’s feelings and the pros and cons of each option, and then he would come up with conclusions that made sense and seemed indisputable, and yet were always fair. Even in his later years, Dad was an island of sanity in a world so often embroiled in chaos and animosity. He always tried to make sense of things, to figure out what was truly right and wrong and to state his case with forethought, clarity and commitment.
Dad’s first love was his family. That’s indisputable. He was a great father and husband. He was always there for us and was willing to sacrifice to make sure that we kids had everything we needed. And, while he wasn’t predisposed to saying “I love you”, we knew he did with all his heart and soul.
And beyond his family, his next great love was his interest in World War II. It was a virtual hobby for him and he enjoyed talking about his time in the service as much as we enjoyed hearing about it. He was obsessed with it in the most positive way possible. He read, he researched, he discussed and he made videos and art that tried to capture various moments of that historic time. And while his dedication to his country led him to leave school early to join the army, he was still one of the smartest and best read men I know. Each Veteran’s Day I would call Dad and thank him for his service and tell him how proud we were of him…..and indeed we owe our freedom today to Dad as much as any vet out there.
And, while not so much after his retirement, Dad was an active and vital member of his community, whether it was the civic association or Temple Hillel, Dad was proactive and effectual. To this day, kids still use the foot bridge going from North Woodmere to Woodmere which he conceived and for which he campaigned. And, Temple Hillel, for which he was the head of the building committee, still stands proud and strong as a testament to his commitment to the Jewish community of North Woodmere, and indeed the world.
Dad started and ran a very successful printing business in NY with dozens of employees, every one of which was incredibly fond of him. He was better to them than the union required and frequently helped his employees and their families when they encountered bumps in the road. It is no wonder that his employees were loyal and stayed with him for decades.
Dad was an extremely creative and talented guy….whether it was building an indoor brick barbeque in our den, a decorative wall unit, trains that doubled as beds, or artwork that adorns his home today, he was forever using his imagination and his talents to add beauty to this world. And, by the way, we have lots of his painting and sculptures for which we need to find homes, so perhaps later we can take orders from the crowd here today!
But, as I said up front….dad was one of the good guys. He was gentle and kind and honorable and smart and fair. He treated others as he would like to have been treated and he always started out by seeing the good in everyone. He was a dedicated and loyal husband and father and an outstanding member of his community and armed services. He was the person In the world that I most admired and I cannot be more honored to call myself his son!
So, the next time you hear Billy Joel tell you that only the good die young, you stop the music and tell him Billy, it just ain’t so.
I love you Dad.
Bruce
