Theodore "Ted" Simon

Ted Simon, a retired deli owner, passed away on Sunday May 17, 2020. He was 91½ years old. He preferred “Ted”, believing that “Theodore” was too formal-although he did like being named after 2 of the 3 chipmunks.

Ted was born in Manhattan, NY to Thelma & Max Simon on November 20, 1928. He was raised in Brooklyn. He and his dear cousin Harriet were raised pretty much as siblings. Ted’s brother Harvey joined them when Ted was 9½.

After attending the same high school as Whitey Ford (but NOT joining him on the school baseball team), Ted went on to work for American Airlines as an aviation technician (although that term probably didn’t exist then). Dissatisfied with sweeping out airplane hangars, he transitioned to a couple of other jobs (women’s hats & women’s dresses-seriously) until he was drafted into the Army in 1950. He served 2 years during the Korean War, serving in the 43rd Infantry Division. This is where his luck started to improve as his half of the Division went to Germany instead of Korea. After being discharged, he found his way to Patchogue, Long Island, NY (the end of the Earth for people from Brooklyn) and opened a Kosher deli, Deli King in 1956. Ted and his partner at the time started the business from scratch.

In January 1960, a mutual friend (Lila) introduced Ted to Ethel Pilchik and his life changed forever. Shortly after Ethel “survived” a Simon family Passover Seder, Ted noticed Ethel wearing a blouse with her initials monogrammed on. He asked her if she would consider changing her initials. They were married in July 1960, 6 months after they met.

Ted & Ethel were living in Patchogue when both of their children (David & Hali) were born. Shortly after Hali’s 1st birthday, the family moved to Coram where they made many lifelong friends, even if it was a “schlep” (relatively speaking) to get to the Deli King every day. Ted won his first Father of the Year Award June 19, 1977 (he has a certificate hanging on the wall to prove it). He never relinquished the title.

Ted & Ethel found a way to travel the world over the next 30+ years, many times with their dear friends Sonya & Eddie. China, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Hawaii, Alaska, England, Scandinavia, South America, Panama Canal, France and Italy are all stamps in their passports. They also visited almost every US state and national park. Most importantly, they went to Israel 3 times.

When they weren’t travelling, they were working. A revolving door of relatives and friends worked at the Deli King over it’s 25 years, doing everything from dishes to knishes. The Deli King was sold in 1981, in part to insure that Ted’s children would go to college and not take over the family business. Ted spent the rest of his pre-retirement years working at a couple of other delis (he enjoyed the work without the stress of ownership) and then driving an airport limo (his knack for storytelling came in handy) before retiring to Florida in 1994. When Ted and his wife Ethel picked the condo and community they would live in, they described it as “buying a lifestyle”.

Boy did they love Kings Point. Ted not only served as his building President, but he immediately got involved with the largest club in the community, the Culture Club. Training under the club’s president and his dear friend Sid Spector, Ted loved everything about the club, it’s huge membership and the multiple events they offered. When Sid passed away, Ted was elected President and served for the rest of his life. The Culture Club was an enormous part of Ted’s life and it meant a great deal to him. One of the last events Ted attended was a club trip to his favorite restaurant (Rustic Inn) on his 91st birthday this past November.

Ted was the devoted husband to Ethel for what would have been 60 years this July. He was the loving father to David Simon and Hali Goldfine and father-in-law to Marc Goldfine. He was the proud grandfather to Melissa & Spencer Goldfine. He was a loving brother to Harvey.

Funeral Services will be held at Star of David (Tamarac, FL) on Wednesday May 20 at 11:45. Due to the pandemic, there is a limit on in-person attendance so a RSVP is required. Anyone who attends will need to wear a mask. The seats will be set up at a proper social distance. A Zoom call will also be set up to allow people to attend that way. The Zoom call will be recorded and available at a later date. Again, there is a limit and a RSVP is needed if you want to attend by Zoom. Graveside service at Mount Ararat Cemetery (Lindenhurst, NY), Friday May 22 at 12:30. Due to the pandemic, there is a limit on in-person attendance so a RSVP is required. Contact Ethel, David or Hali to RSVP for either in-person or Zoom attendance.

Memorials in Ted's name may be made to Oak Tree Farms in honor of his granddaughter Melissa:

https://scautismhelp.com/oak-tree-farm/

Mail

PO Box 7136, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572