Irvin Goldberg
2/25/2010

Irvin Goldberg, 88, of Palm City, Florida, died Thursday, February 25th at Martin Memorial Hospital in nearby Stuart, Florida.   He was born January 3, 1922 in Altoona, the third of five sons, to the late Harry and Tessie (Lifshitz) Goldberg.  His brothers were Lewis, Albert, Samuel (“Shimmy”), and Allen of Bethesda, Maryland, the latter being the sole surviving and youngest brother.

In 1949, Irvin married the late Leila Auerbach of Montreal with whom he had four children (Mark of New York City, Kathy of Doylestown, PA, Tina of Palm Desert CA, and Amy of Hilton Head, SC, who all survive him).  Divorced in 1975, Irvin married the late Judy Hopper of Altoona in 1976. Irvin was a member of Agudath Achim Synagogue for many years as well as the Masonic Lodge and the American Legion.

Irvin grew up during the Roaring Twenties and then the Depression. After graduating from Altoona High School in 1940 he worked in his father’s business, Altoona Auto Accessories which later became Altoona Welding Supply. In October 1942, at age 20, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, first serving in Naval Intelligence (Encoding) in Washington, D.C. and later in Kodiak and Attu (Alaska) during the Aleutian Islands campaign. After returning from the Aleutians, he served with the Navy in Seattle and San Francisco.  His highest rank was Chief Petty Officer.

After returning from the war, with both his parents sick, Irvin had to work in the family business and was unable to take advantage of the G.I. Bill which paid for returning veterans to attend college.  He eventually became President and CEO of Altoona Welding Supply.  His entrepreneurial instincts led him to create another company called Allegheny Medical Equipment along with several other investors. 

In 1963, Irvin was a cofounder of the Blue Knob Ski Resort, once a U.S. Air Force Radar station, about 23 miles from Altoona.  In 1992 at age 70 Irvin retired, and, with his second wife, Judy, moved to Palm City, Florida.  Irvin took care of Judy for many years after she developed multiple sclerosis.

Throughout his life Irvin was an avid and expert golfer, a reader of nonfiction, a lover of music, most recently opera. He also liked travel to islands, a favorite being Bermuda, where he invested in a second home.

Friends will be received from 12:00pm – 1:00pm on Monday, March 1, 2010 at E. Merrill Smith Funeral Home, 2309 Broad Avenue, Altoona.   A funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm Monday, March 1 at the funeral home.  Interment will be at Agudath Achim Cemetery following the service.

In remembrance of Irvin, in lieu of flowers, those who wish may make contributions to the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, or the National Kidney Foundation.


Service
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm Monday, March 1 at the funeral home.

Contributions
In remembrance of Irvin, in lieu of flowers, those who wish may make contributions to the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, or the National Kidney Foundation.

Your name
Condolence