Hyman Hacker's Obituary
Hyman Hacker of Lake Worth, Florida passed away on July 25, 2024 after complications from a surgical procedure.
Since 2018, Hyman and his wife Carol had lived at the Bellaggio in Lake Worth. Hyman was the chair of the community’s Current Events discussion group and co-chair of the Hearings Committee. He was a member of COPS and was active in other community organizations.
Born in November 1948 as Chaim Hacker in a displaced persons camp in Ulm, Germany, Hyman’s parents were survivors of the Holocaust from Kolomea, Poland (modern Kolomyya, Ukraine) and the family immigrated to the United States in 1949 when he was a year old. An only child, the family initially lived in a tenement on Rivington Street on New York’s Lower East Side before moving to East New York and eventually Canarsie, NY.
A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, Hyman received a BS in Political Science from Brooklyn College in 1969 and a masters degree in 1971. He showed broad interests ranging from from mathematics where he had been a standout in high school to rabbinical school which he briefly attended, to computers, where he learned to program on punch cards in the late 1960s.
He married Carol Hacker (nee Silberfarb) in 1973 and after briefly living in NYC they settled in Great Neck, NY. They celebrated their 50th anniversary with family in Bermuda in 2023.
For nearly 17 years, Hyman was a social studies teacher in the New York City Public Schools, spending nearly a decade at Andrew Jackson High School before moving to Hillcrest High School. In addition to developing a reputation as a smart and passionate teacher, he became highly involved as advisor to the Student Government and Coordinator of Student Affairs.
In the fall of 1984, Hyman enrolled in St. John's University School of Law where he distinguished himself as editor of the law review, studying at night while carrying on a full teaching schedule by day. In the spring of 1998, he graduated at the top of his class and delivered the salutatorian address.
Hyman was recruited by Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton where he spent the next few years focused on a variety of employment related matters. As a 40-year old first-year associate he developed close relationships with a number of partners who were much closer in age than his fellow associates who were 15 years or more his junior. By the early 1990s Hyman decided to move to Albanese, Albanese & Fiore, in Garden City, NY. At the time one of the largest law firms on Long Island, he became a partner focused on litigation.
Hyman retired in 2017 after a career spanning three decades across both law and education. He was often remembered for his calm and confident manner as well as his ability to tell a compelling story whether in a classroom or a courtroom.
Hyman loved long car trips that took him all over the United States, Canada and Europe. He collected fountain pens and was known to pen long letters by hand in meticulous handwriting. He genuinely cared about other people, mentored young people, advocated for the disadvantaged and enjoyed striking up conversations with people from all walks of life.
Hyman is survived by his wife Carol, having just celebrated their 51st anniversary; his children Michael Hacker and Rachel Lewis; and grandchildren Samuel Hacker, Millie Hacker and Connor Lewis.
What’s your fondest memory of Hyman?
What’s a lesson you learned from Hyman?
Share a story where Hyman's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Hyman you’ll never forget.
How did Hyman make you smile?
