Warren Klein

October 28th, 1939 - August 31st, 2023

Righteous Man- Beloved Brother

Warren Klein, my older brother, was a stand-up guy!

That phrase succinctly summarizes the solid simple truth about my brother. Quiet, dependable and steadfast, when it really mattered, he did what needed to be done without question or complaint. When our father died relatively young, he stepped up and took responsibility for the family’s financial well-being. Instead of leaving and pursuing a family and home of his own, he unselfishly forsook his own desires and destiny for the good our family: my mother, brother and me.

After I moved away for a while, he could have claimed for his own the larger bedroom I had shared with our younger brother, but he was content to remain in a room no larger than a monk’s cell. When I or others in the extended family needed financial help, “no” wasn’t in his vocabulary. And to this day and beyond, his largesse lives on, to which I will be eternally grateful.

Having taught school for over three decades, how many of his students are grateful for having had him as their teacher? I’ve no way of knowing. However, what I discerned from his fellow teachers is that he was one the best that school ever had. He cared about his students, even when too many cared so little for school. And for those who were hungry to learn and eager to succeed, he unlocked a wider world for them to imagine, broadening their vision of who they were and what they could be.

Surely, the school administration understood this and always assigned him classes of the best and brightest, as well as classes at the other end of the spectrum. One of his colleagues said he was the smartest teacher he ever knew. I thought of him in that way as well, though not limited to his teacher role. When ego permitted, I usually deferred to his counsel. Warren never flaunted his intelligence. That was never his style. His reserved demeanor could be mistaken for detachment and lack of compassion. Not so, to those who really knew him.

Like everything else he cared about, he went about it without fanfare. He was generous and consistently supported numerous charities and causes both near and far. His actions, not his mouth, spoke to who he was and what he believed in. That’s just the way he was.

“Was”, that’s the operative word in this moment that brings tears to my eyes and an ache in my heart. The” past tense” has yet to pass from the painful here and now. This world, my world, is diminished by your passing. God bless you, my brother. And thank you for your life. Warren Klein, age 83, of Kew Gardens Hills, New York passed away on Thursday, August 31, 2023.

A funeral service for Warren will be held Wednesday, September 6, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffer Memorial Chapels, 114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sbjmemorialchapel.com for the Klein family.