Efrem Weinreb

Few things gave Efrem Weinreb as much pleasure as hosting guests. That was especially true at the vacation house in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. The house was situated on a lake with a view of Mt. Chocorua across the water, and it was shaded by mature pines. Those pines would shed their needles onto the wooden porch and onto the crushed stone border surrounding the house.

Guests who were still weary from an evening drive north might think about lingering under the covers as the early-morning light and the fresh, mountain air came through open windows. Then they’d hear a broom sweep – sweep - sweeping the needles off the porch. They might close their eyes and try to nod off again. But next came the scratch - scratch - scratch of a rake tidying up the bordering stone. “When Efrem’s up, everyone’s up.”

Efrem was always in motion. As an elementary school student in Brookline, at Clark School or on the campus of Lafayette College, Efrem Weinreb didn’t sit still. He graduated in 1942 and served in WW II as a naval officer deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. Afterward, Efrem took quickly to the busy electrical supply business that his father, “Charlie Mass. Gas,” had established on Friend Street, in Boston’s West End.

Customers remarked how at one moment Efrem could be on the phone closing an order and in the next moment he could be at the contractor counter or in the lighting showroom assisting a sale. His energy, acumen and remarkable memory were significant factors behind Mass. Gas & Electric’s growth to become New England’s largest independent electrical distributor. Multiple generations of commercial and consumer customers knew that they could satisfy their electrical needs there. Those weren’t merely customers; they were guests of the business. That approach created a reputation resulting in his being known to manufacturers, customers, and competitors alike by the one-word moniker of “Effie.”

Efrem Weinreb did not focus only on business. He was active in Lafayette College alumni activities. He loved a good game of doubles tennis with his cherished White Mountains neighbors followed by an evening cookout. He was a standout member of the Jewish community. He and his first wife Barbara (Yamins), of blessed memory, were one of the families who founded Temple Shalom of Newton in 1950. He was with the young leadership group who comprised Boston’s first mission to Israel in 1956. He and Barbara were energetic supporters and campus guides during the formation of the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in the late 1970s. Efrem chaired CJP’s Building and Construction Team Major Gifts Dinner. He was a regular attendee with his second wife, Carole “Kelly” (Starr) Schein, at Temple Israel of Boston. He enjoyed many facets of history and served on the board of the American Jewish Historical Society.

Throughout his life, Efrem had an incandescent manner, a sartorial flair and a twinkle in his eye that people never forgot. With Kelly, he relished the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s performances at Tanglewood. He even learned to sleep a little later.

Efrem died at age 91 at NewBridge on the Charles, in Dedham, following a brief illness. In addition to his wife, Efrem leaves son Peter Weinreb, Judy Basen Weinreb and grandson Lt. David Weinreb, USN, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; son Roger Weinreb, Audrey “Didi” Weinreb of Wellesley and grandchildren Kate Reed and her husband Chris, Jill Weinreb, Max Weinreb and Ben Weinreb; Jo Shane Cooper, her husband John, their children Eben Cooper and Nica Cooper of New York City and two great-grandchildren. He was interred at Mishkan Tefila Memorial Park on August 26. Remembrances may be made to The American Jewish Historical Society, c/o New England Archives, 101 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116 or Combined Jewish Philanthropies, 126 High St, Boston, MA 02110.