Stan Silverblank died at his North Haven home on July 2. He was 89 and the cause of death was cancer.
Reminiscing about his life, he joyfully recalled growing up on Crotona Park East in the Bronx, his survivors said. He especially treasured playing paddle tennis with his pals, and becoming one of the finalists in the city finals held in Central Park.
He also took pleasure in talking about his years at City College, where he was a work-study student in the library, president of his engineering fraternity, and a member of Elliot 43, where he formed gratifying lifelong friendships.
World War II years were spent as a machinist mate on a crash boat. After discharge from the U.S. Navy, he worked for a company that designed and manufactured wiring devices, but found the business to be very restrictive and decided to change his career. He then turned to civil engineering and tried his hand at heavy construction—a rotogravure plant, and then a high school. Once again, he was not satisfied, and he finally found his niche when he went into small home construction in 1950. He partnered with a college buddy and together they built over a thousand one-family homes from Great Neck to Montauk.
During his long career as a builder, Mr. Silverblank assumed a variety of professional responsibilities, including as the director of the Long Island Builders Association, and director of the Eastern Suffolk Board of Realtors.
His family and friends said they have good memories of him as an avid crapshooter, tennis player and golfer, games that he zealously enjoyed throughout his life. In later years, he restricted himself to golf, playing first at Old Westbury Golf and Country Club, and then, after moving out east, at the Noyac Golf Club.
Most of all, Mr. Silverblank took great pleasure in his family—Fran, his wife of 62 years; children, Helene, Jack, Debbie and Wendy and husband Neil; his grandchildren, Mike and wife Amy, Ben, Peter, Dylan, Melody and husband Ben, and Charlie; and his great-grandchildren, Aidan and Sarah, all of whom survive him.
According to his wishes, there will be no services. Arrangements were under the direction of the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in Sag Harbor and interment at Oakland Cemetery.
on Jul 10, 2013