Milton Brodsky

"September 30, 2011 You have all sat here and listened to who my father was, and how he lived, but I'd like to share with you his final moments. My mom and I were fortunate to be with him, she was on his right, and I was on his left. We were stroking his head, holding his hand, and kissing his cheek. He was well aware of our presence. As his transition drew closer, my mother was sobbing as she was kissing his face while professing her love and appreciation of their wonderful life together. She thanked him for the two children he gave her. She said we had our ups and downs, and other loving words to her beloved husband. Her words were deeply heartfelt. She told him that she would see him later. He puckered up his lips for his farewell kiss with her, I clearly saw that. It was poignantly beautiful. The two women in his life were with him as he went to his final destination. Although death is the natural progression of life, this was the moment I dreaded. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't appreciate the good fortune of having a dad like him. I absolutely adored my father and love him tremendously. He was a jeweler, yet truthfully, HE was the Gem. A full life, A full heart, A full love. Rest in Peace Daddy ~ Eileen Brodsky, Pacific Palisades, California "

"and a good friend to all of you sitting here today. Now we find ourselves in another time in our lives. I promise you Dad I will always be there for Mom and Eileen...always So now, beloved husband, Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Milty, good friend, you imprinted yourself on our hearts and minds and we shall never forget you for the rest and remainder of our days. I love you Dad - Rest in Peace. ~ Ron Brodsky, Easton, Pennsylvania "

"Milton Brodsky September 29, 1923 - September 18, 2011 My Father, Milton Brodsky sprang from parents who escaped the oppression of Czarist Russia. His childhood was one of privation and toil, working along with his two brothers and sister at the family's soda fountain/tobacco/candy store in Ridgewood, Queens. The Great Depression and its miseries marked his early world-view. Dad was enrolled at Columbia University for Optometry when war broke out. Not waiting to be drafted he enlisted in the Army. After basic training he was sent to England and found he was part of the Great Invasion of France. He came ashore at Omaha Beach in a Higgins boat on D-day +5, fought his way from Normandy across France and Belgium until he received head wounds by shrapnel outside of Aachen, Germany. He once recounted to me that as the Medic carried him away from the battlefield he reached for his helmet, the Corpsmen said to him: "brother where you are going you won't need your helmet anymore." He told me that while in the hospital in England he kissed his pillow every night during the five months recuperation because he wasn't sleeping in a foxhole. I must mention here that Milton received his Bronze star for his heroic stand in the St Lo breakout, three Bronze service stars, a Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Qualification Badge 1st Award - additional medals added up to 12 in all. His valor only became known to us just a few years ago when he said to me: "you know the army owes me a couple of medals." Prior to that he never talked about his service to his country. After the war he finished his education at New York University and received a degree in Accounting. I tell you all this because from the struggle of the depression to fighting and being wounded in the war my dad could have turned out....well negative. Instead the adjectives I and many others use to describe him are kind, sensitive, selfless, generous, great sense of humor and loving. These words are a testament to his true character. I remember so many things that made me proud of him; like the times when he participated in the Temple plays and when he was active in the Temple Brotherhood and in helping out with Sunday School cook-outs; and the times that he took us on the greatest driving vacations of all time to the St. Lawrence Seaway, Washington, DC, Boston, Florida, Gettysburg, country fairs and many other places. And the many times he took us to New York to see the Opera, Broadway Plays, and Museums. I always remember the time he and I walked downtown to Centre Square, lit candles and held hands with hundreds of others to protest the Vietnam War...I was so proud of him then! I remember when he took me to see the Harlem Globetrotters for my birthday, which made me feel very special. The fact that the whole Brodsky family was close while we grew up was wonderful and I know that it involved lots of driving for him. I saw him always try to do the right thing for people whether it was in business or socially. I saw him help Mom in the house with all the mundane chores and saw how he ALWAYS treated Mom with respect and love...I think this was his greatest hallmark. I saw him labor for many years at Reiningers Jewelry store, which must have been difficult, working with Nanny and Uncle Louie, but I now know why he stayed the course. I am very proud of his service in the Army during World War II but rest assured he has been and is my hero for many many other reasons than D-Day. Above all, he was a devoted husband to my mother, Jacqueline, a faithful brother to his sister Mildred and two brothers, Leon and Phillip, a loving father to Eileen and I, a doting grandfather to four grandsons, Aaron, Julian, Leo and Max, a caring uncle to numerous nephews a"