Marvin Bernstein, 89, died Aug. 13, 2019.
Mr. Bernstein was an insurance broker and grief counselor. He was born in New York City to Jacob and Minnie Bernstein in 1929. “Moishe,” as he was known to his family, suffered from polio as a child, but still took part in youthful antics on the streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. After attending NYU’s School of Pure Arts and Sciences he went to work at his father’s brass foundry, Houston Brass. He later joined Aetna Insurance as an agent, earning his C.L.U. certification and rising in the ranks as one of their top salesmen. Promoted to general agent, he ran one of Aetna’s largest life insurance agencies in New York City.
He married the former Helen Nackenson in 1957. Their son, Mark, was born in 1958, and their daughter, Jill, was born in 1964. In 1978, the Bernstein family relocated to Tucson, and for nearly four decades, Mr. Bernstein represented a diverse insurance client base that included the municipal employees of Pima County. After the deaths of both Helen and Mark in 2006, he joined the Widowed to Widowed spousal bereavement group at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, becoming the group’s facilitator within a few years.
Survivors include his daughter Jill (John) Montagna of Brooklyn, New York; one granddaughter; and loving companion, Lisa Grabell of Tucson.
A memorial service was held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center library, with Rabbi Stephanie Aaron of Congregation Chaverim officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Tucson J.
