It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of George Berch. He was the fourth of five boys born to Samuel and Anna Berchofsky in his beloved Brooklyn. He was one of the original members of the Brownsville Boys Club, proudly playing basketball for his team,The Marauders.Those BBC friendships and the BBC Alumni Association itself remained a mainstay throughout his life. After having been a sergeant in the US Army during the Korean War, he returned to NY and through the GI Bill, got his degree in Business Administration from Baruch College. A casual suggestion that he might look into teaching, turned into a life dedicated to educating and helping young people. He taught at Franklin K. Lane, Bushwick and Springfield Gardens High Schools before extending his reach city-wide through the Cooperative Education Program which was a pioneering program in work experience and education for NYC High School students. He taught for 33 years. He was also a member of the Lynbrook School Board for 21 years through which he continued to help nurture the futures of thousands of children. George was also very involved in his community. He served on the Cultural Arts Council for the Village of East Rockaway, was Chairman of their 75th Anniversary Committee and worked on their Bicentennial Celebration Committee. He was a volunteer at St. Francis Hospital and an officer for their Brave Hearts chapter, a long time board member and committee member for Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center and an executive board member for the Brownsville Boys Club Alumni Association.
But he was proudest of his family. He met the love of his life, Charlotte on a blind date set up by one of his oldest and dearest friends. They were married for 55 years and he would tell you the secret was he married his best friend. He adored his three children Neil, Susan and Alan and loved the fact that they were so different from each other. He loved his daughters-in-law, Betsy Norton and Dara Rothschild as if they were his own. As for his grandchildren, there has never been a man prouder or happier to be a grandfather. His face lit up every time he saw or spoke with Anna, Adam, Isabel and Addison.
He will be missed tremendously.
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