Seymour Begleiter's Obituary
Seymour was a respectful, generous man who lived a long life filled with wonderful experiences.
He was born in Corona, New York, and was raised in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, the youngest of 3 children of Isidor and Ida Begleiter. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and served in the ROTC while a student at New York University, receiving a degree in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation he entered the U.S. Army's Signal Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant and was deployed overseas to command a radio station in China during World War II. When the War ended, Seymour was stationed at Ft Monmouth NJ and honorably discharged in April 1946.
Seymour spent his entire working years at Western Electric, which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T. He was involved in defense projects such as: the Distant Early Warning System (also known as the DEW Line) and White Alice. These projects had two major impacts on his personal life; after several postings to Point Barrow, Alaska, he became determined to retire to a warm climate, and it fostered his love of travel and dining, his eyes would sparkle when he spoke about the smorgasbord he enjoyed in Copenhagen. He was also active for many years in the Telephone Pioneers, an organization of AT&T retirees.
He married his high school sweetheart Rose (Goetz) on October 23, 1943. They had been looking forward to celebrating their 50th anniversary in 1993, but, sadly, Rose died in April of that year. Seymour and Rose had three children: Alice LaPoint of Palm Springs FL, who was born while Seymour was stationed overseas, Marc Begleiter of Las Vegas NV, who passed away in 2017, and Joel Begleiter and his wife Rosary of Manasquan NJ; six grandchildren: Susanne LaPoint and husband Ron Kesselring, Chicago IL, Sara Begleiter and husband Frank Peranteau, Warrington PA, Lisa LaPoint, Cambridge MA, Alison Begleiter and husband Rick Jones, Ewing NJ, David LaPoint, Royersford, PA, and Rachel Begleiter, Boynton Beach FL; and seven great-grandchildren: Genevieve, Penelope, and Frank III Peranteau, Ethan and Jack Jones, and Zachery LaPoint.
Seymour and Rose were among the first residents of Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan NY. Seymour enjoyed traveling with his wife and children, especially long road trips including a cross country trip to California in a Chevrolet Biscayne in the early 1960’s. Among his international trips, he loved Rio de Janeiro, Israel, Yugoslavia, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. He was inspired by Julia Child and the Galloping Gourmet and became proficient at cooking many of their recipes including beef bourguignon and shrimp scampi which became the standard for Friday night dinner. And he loved working, walking and living in NYC especially enjoying the culture, the restaurants, the theatre, the nightlife, Chinatown - Quon Luck and Wo-Hop (downstairs, of course) and brunch at the Brasserie.
Seymour retired in 1985 and they moved to Waterview Estates in Palm Springs, Florida. Seymour was active in his homeowners association and was well-known around the property. He found new favorite restaurants, including Uncle Tai's (the whole fish!) and Ruth’s Chris. He was an avid reader, and enjoyed NY Times crossword puzzles and the NY Yankees.
He will be remembered for his generosity to his family, the sparkle in his clear blue eyes, and his witty humor that he shared with all he met. We will miss him dearly.
Private services are scheduled for Monday, January 25th. For those who wish to honor Seymour with a memorial donation, please consider a charity of your choice.
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