Howard Michael Epstein, loved by his wife, Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, her son, Alex Epstein, and a small universe of friends, passed away peacefully after a long twilight struggle against Parkinson’s.
A Queens lad, he served in the Pacific in WWII, then went to the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris on his GI Bill, coming away a lifelong francophile. After a stint as a reporter on the Xenia Daily Gazette, he joined Facts on File, a news digest. He became President and started up Checkmark Books, an imprint for diction-aries, atlases and encyclopedias. He helped the company grow by a factor of ten.
A nurturing man, a mensch, he took care of everyone around him. He loved sailboats, British roadsters and catboats, and making sure his friends had enough wine to drink. He made a heck of a ragout. May his memory be a blessing.
