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Barugh ben Dovid “Bernie” Saperstein died in his sleep on October 14 at his home in Southampton, with loved ones close by. He was 96.
Mr. Saperstein was born in Manhattan on June 26, 1919. Survivors said he distinguished himself with honor, intellect and humor as he witnessed much of modern history unfold.
When he was 10, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression gripped America. In 1943, he landed with George Patton’s 7th Army in Sicily as a medic. As he was bending down to give water to a wounded soldier, the shrapnel from a German 88mm howitzer whizzed over his head, leaving a small piece in his neck. Mr. Saperstein received a Purple Heart for what he said were “superficial” wounds. He did not make a big deal of his service. According to old friend Herb Rosen, age 93, of San Francisco, Mr. Saperstein lamented on his post-war premature graying hair: “I went into war looking like Mickey Rooney and came out looking like Lionel Barrymore!” Mr. Saperstein preferred to dwell on life’s humor.
A bachelor’s degree from City College in 1940 was followed by a master’s degree in marketing from New York University in 1948. During the 1950s and ’60s he worked as an advertising executive in the glory days of early television at ABC and CBS. After a long and profitable career in advertising, he retired to Southampton with his loving wife of 41 years, Lillian, who died in 2009.
Mr. Saperstein’s love of learning continued in retirement. One of his avid pursuits was the Chabad-Lubavitch, a Jewish discussion group. A lifelong reader, he was a fixture at Southampton’s Rogers Memorial Library.
Mr. Saperstein was not a smoker and indulged in a beer from time to time, and he played tennis into his 80s and worked out at the gym almost weekly until his death.
In Hebrew, his given name, Barugh, means “blessed” or “beloved.” He truly blessed those he touched with his compassion, composure and wit, survivors said. Mr. Saperstein is survived by a sister, Fay Siegel of Florida; daughters, Barbara R. Klein of Florida and Ellen S. Barash of Mount Vernon; grandsons, Evan Barash and David Barash; daughter-in-law, Andrea Barash; great-granddaughter, Scarlet Barash; and sons-in-law, Mark Barash and Michael O’Hara Garcia. In later life, Mr. Saperstein was cared for by Nanette Stillman and Michelle Berkoski.
Memorial donations may be made to the Chabad of Southampton Jewish Center, 214 Hill Street, Southampton, NY 11968 or Rogers Memorial Library, 91 Coopers Farm Road, Southampton, NY 11968.
on Oct 19, 2015