Albert Greenberg

Albert Greenberg, born in Boyle Heights on December 5, 1925 and a long-time resident of Marina del Rey, died July 3 from complications of dementia. He spent his final days in the loving care of his family and his hospice nurses. One of five siblings, Albert was pre-deceased by his wife of 50 years, Charlotte (1998), and is survived by his sister Rhoda Fires, brother Larry Greeneye, son Ken, daughter-in-law Sara and much adored grandsons Aaron and Jacob, niece Lynn Hemar, and a network of cousins. Albert lived life in a big way -- gregarious, outgoing and generous till the end. Albert was trained in photography during the early Â'40s at Fremont High SchoolÂ's intensive vocational program. He joined the Army Air Corps out of high school and was assigned by Ronald Reagan, his personnel officer, to the First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU) at Hal Roach Studios. Albert served as a combat motion picture cameraman during World War II, shooting post-battle scenes from B-17s over France and Germany. Having tried his hand at commercial photography after the war, he briefly worked as a butcher before going into business with his brother, Harold.Albert retired at 59 from Hal & Al Tire,...[more]

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the wholesale/retail business in Los Angeles and Inglewood that he and Harold built. In retirement, he and Charlotte spent wonderful times at their cabin in Crestline, and driving their RV throughout the U.S., riding bikes at their various destinations. A member of the Fairwind Yacht Club and an accomplished sailor, he sailed to Hawaii as one of a four-man crew. He helped found the BÂ'nai Brith lodge in Marina del Rey, part of a lifelong association with the organization that began with Huntington Park A.Z.A. Al took up ceramics in retirement, graduating from pots and knick-knacks to intricate scenes of shtel life. His distinctive Judaic pieces were sold in crafts stores around Los Angeles and displayed at the gift shop of the Museum of Tolerance. After Charlotte died, Al found solace at Beit TÂ'shuvah in Culver City, where he learned Hebrew and had a bar mitzvah in 2000, at the age of 75. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Daja Wangchuk Meston Greenberg Â'96 Endowed Scholarship at Brandeis University (Development and Alumni Relations, Mailstop 012, Waltham, MA 02454-9110).