Obituary for Harold Barry Haber
Farewell my father, may you rest in peace. A union man, father, husband & fighter to the end
My father died at home of non-Covid related congestive heart failure, failed by a govt. and health system which deprived him medical care or admission to a non-covid hospital to save his life. A Navy veteran, he was a casualty of a war at home.
Harry was well loved and popular and affectionately referred as Harry. He loved his family and his wife of 72 years, Miriam, whom he met while serving in the Navy and she,as a volunteer in the commissary during WWII. Harry was born in 1924 in Boston to Sara and Abraham. His mother Sara died in childbirth and Grandpa Abe remarried to a wonderful woman Rose Rothbardt, his mom and our grandma whom he visited many times a weekin their small apt. in the projects at 849 Flushing Avenue, Brownsville. Harry worked long and hard hours in his parents’ grocery stores in Boston and Williamsburg, New York. Most of his life, he worked 2-3 jobs at the same time. Harry & Miriam raised 2daughters, Ellen & Robin, first in the Ravenswood projects in Astoria and then in Woodside. In Astoria, he was our neighborhood clerk, cashier and butcher in Dilberts, then Bohack’s grocery on Broadway. Harry later worked as a meat inspector for the NYS Dept.of Agriculture and finally as a court officer in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Always a proud union member & steward, first in the RSDWU and later, the NYS Court Officers’ union. He was a Democrat, poll watcher and active in the Jewish War Veterans and in the Big6 Self-Help mens’ group and other activities. He was determined to make a better world. Feisty and strong, he walked 5 miles in the NYC cold and blackout of 1965, to make it home.
To the end, Harold was alert, smart, feisty, organized and devoted to his family. He will be sorely missed. We give tzedakah in the name of my father. Due to covid-19, the family was not at Harry’s burial. Harry is survived by his wife Miriam, daughter Robin Potter- grandchildren Jackson & Aimee Potter and their partners Richard Cornell and Joan Gusic and great-granddaughter Phoebe Simone Cornell; daughter Ellen and granddaughters Alisa and Bella; nephews and their spouses: Allan & Fortune Dessin; Richard & Debbie Bloom; Andrew & Cheryl Bloom; Meryl & Paul Goldstein. He was pre-deceased by his beloved sister “auntie Rose”, Rose Dessin.
4-10-20 - On day of burial
My dad will be buried today, on Passover and my birthday, at Calverton National Cemetery. We are blessed that in a city laying people to rest in trenches, that Harry has a safe resting place. Say a prayer for Harry and for all those struggling through pandemics in the USA and around the world\. We share an uplifting non-denominational farewell poem and our Kaddish prayer, "El Malei Rachamim", which prays for the soul of the deceased. Kel Maleh Rachamim (Prayer of Mercy). Please post your memories and pics/videos at the tribute site highlighted below. Hugs. Robin
4/10/2020
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye (shiva.com)
Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there.
I did not die.
Kaddish - Kel Maleh Rachamim
“God, full of mercy, who dwells in the heights, provide a sure rest upon the Divine Presence's wings [...] Therefore, the Master of Mercy will protect him forever, from behind the hiding of his wings, and will tie his soul with the rope of life. The Everlasting is his heritage, and he shall rest peacefully upon his lying place, and let us say: Amen.”
This prayer for the departed is a central prayer of Jewish funeral and memorial services and is sung at grave visitations and anniversaries of death. It is essentially a plea that the soul or souls of the departed be granted proper rest. Altered variations of the prayer exist for men, women and other remembrances, such as those for fallen members of service.
My father died at home of non-Covid related congestive heart failure, failed by a govt. and health system which deprived him medical care or admission to a non-covid hospital to save his life. A Navy veteran, he was a casualty of a war at home.
Harry was well loved and popular and affectionately referred as Harry. He loved his family and his wife of 72 years, Miriam, whom he met while serving in the Navy and she,as a volunteer in the commissary during WWII. Harry was born in 1924 in Boston to Sara and Abraham. His mother Sara died in childbirth and Grandpa Abe remarried to a wonderful woman Rose Rothbardt, his mom and our grandma whom he visited many times a weekin their small apt. in the projects at 849 Flushing Avenue, Brownsville. Harry worked long and hard hours in his parents’ grocery stores in Boston and Williamsburg, New York. Most of his life, he worked 2-3 jobs at the same time. Harry & Miriam raised 2daughters, Ellen & Robin, first in the Ravenswood projects in Astoria and then in Woodside. In Astoria, he was our neighborhood clerk, cashier and butcher in Dilberts, then Bohack’s grocery on Broadway. Harry later worked as a meat inspector for the NYS Dept.of Agriculture and finally as a court officer in Brooklyn Supreme Court. Always a proud union member & steward, first in the RSDWU and later, the NYS Court Officers’ union. He was a Democrat, poll watcher and active in the Jewish War Veterans and in the Big6 Self-Help mens’ group and other activities. He was determined to make a better world. Feisty and strong, he walked 5 miles in the NYC cold and blackout of 1965, to make it home.
To the end, Harold was alert, smart, feisty, organized and devoted to his family. He will be sorely missed. We give tzedakah in the name of my father. Due to covid-19, the family was not at Harry’s burial. Harry is survived by his wife Miriam, daughter Robin Potter- grandchildren Jackson & Aimee Potter and their partners Richard Cornell and Joan Gusic and great-granddaughter Phoebe Simone Cornell; daughter Ellen and granddaughters Alisa and Bella; nephews and their spouses: Allan & Fortune Dessin; Richard & Debbie Bloom; Andrew & Cheryl Bloom; Meryl & Paul Goldstein. He was pre-deceased by his beloved sister “auntie Rose”, Rose Dessin.
4-10-20 - On day of burial
My dad will be buried today, on Passover and my birthday, at Calverton National Cemetery. We are blessed that in a city laying people to rest in trenches, that Harry has a safe resting place. Say a prayer for Harry and for all those struggling through pandemics in the USA and around the world\. We share an uplifting non-denominational farewell poem and our Kaddish prayer, "El Malei Rachamim", which prays for the soul of the deceased. Kel Maleh Rachamim (Prayer of Mercy). Please post your memories and pics/videos at the tribute site highlighted below. Hugs. Robin
4/10/2020
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye (shiva.com)
Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there.
I did not die.
Kaddish - Kel Maleh Rachamim
“God, full of mercy, who dwells in the heights, provide a sure rest upon the Divine Presence's wings [...] Therefore, the Master of Mercy will protect him forever, from behind the hiding of his wings, and will tie his soul with the rope of life. The Everlasting is his heritage, and he shall rest peacefully upon his lying place, and let us say: Amen.”
This prayer for the departed is a central prayer of Jewish funeral and memorial services and is sung at grave visitations and anniversaries of death. It is essentially a plea that the soul or souls of the departed be granted proper rest. Altered variations of the prayer exist for men, women and other remembrances, such as those for fallen members of service.