Martin Milrad of New York City, NY, passed away peacefully in the early morning of October 19, 2015. A beloved father, grandfather, partner, husband, brother, and friend, Marty was 85 years old.
Born in Bronx, NY on September 9, 1930, Marty was the son of Mitchell and Kate Milrad. After immigrating to the United States from Lemberg, Austria in February 1914, Marty’s father, Mitchell, worked as a garment cutter. Marty and his younger sister, Ruth, were raised in the Orthodox Jewish faith, although Marty once recalled: “I went to Hebrew School. My mom spent a fortune, and I don’t remember a letter.”
Marty attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, and he later became the first in his family to attend college. After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1954, Marty returned to Manhattan and worked numerous jobs over the years, including as a math teacher in Lower Manhattan and a Computer Systems Manager for the City of New York. He later earned a graduate degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Marty married his first wife, Judy, in 1960 and had two children, Mara and Josh. Marty and Judy ultimately divorced, and he married Jan West in 1975. After becoming one of the first residents of Roosevelt Island shortly thereafter, Marty and Jan had two children, Shawn and Jared. Marty and Jan divorced in 1992.
Marty retired from his work with the City of New York in 1997, and he lived with his beloved partner, Gloria Lippmann, in the East Village of Manhattan until shortly before his passing.
In his later years, Marty befriended the officers of Emergency Service Unit #1 of Precinct 13 in Manhattan, who lost several members in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.
Marty was incredibly proud of his children and grandchildren and all of their accomplishments. Even during his later years, as Marty waged a valiant battle with dementia, Marty retained his quick wit, gentle spirit, and kind and loving soul.
Marty is survived by his long-time partner, Gloria; his friend for over 40 years, Jan; his four children, Mara, Josh, Shawn, and Jared; his sons-in-law, Tom Kelly and Nathan Johnson, and his daughter-in-law Kim Milrad; and his five grandchildren, Justin, Julia, Emma, Tyler, Kara, and others not yet born.
We will miss our Dad, Granddad, partner, and friend every single day, and we carry him with us in our hearts forever.