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FLEITMAN ALBERT H. In Deerfield Beach, FL on March 16, 2019, just three days shy of his 93rd birthday. Son of Sidonia and Jacob Fleitman; husband of Aviva Ravel (married 17 years) and the late Helene Rosenblum (married 48 years); brother of Elizabeth (Fleitman) Perlman and Nora (Fleitman) Laufman; father of Felicia, Randy, Ari, and Gina; stepfather of Uri, Sara, and Heather; grandfather of Kurtis, Amanda, Micah, Joshua, Kira, Brittany, and Samantha; step-grandfather of Giancarlo, Alessandro, Vittorio, Jonah, Leora, Dalia, Daniel, Joshua, Larissa; great-grandfather of Anya, Zelda; and step-great-grandfather of Ivy. He was born in Kansas City and grew up in Denver. A WWII veteran, he served in the US Navy from 1944-1946 as an electronic technician and was on a ship enroute to the war in the Pacific when Japan sued for peace. He came home to get his Bachelors in Metallurgy from the Colorado School of Mines, and after moving to Chicago earned a Masters in Metallurgy from the Illinois Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Chicago. In 1960 he moved the family to Smithtown, Long Island where Albert worked for Brookhaven National Laboratory; and in 1973 he brought his family to Pittsburgh and Bethel Park for a new job with Westinghouse Bettis. Upon retirement in 1988 he and Helene started a tax preparation business, A&H Fleitman Tax Consultants, and came to be much loved and depended upon by their many clients. Albert loved opera, theater, concerts, and museums, and inculcated that love into his family. He was an avid skier and tennis player and made sure his children got lessons in both sports. Some of our fondest memories are of family ski trips to Vermont, either for ski weeks in December or on Saturdays when at 4 a.m. he'd pack up four sleepy kids with all our equipment and a picnic lunch, drive five hours, ski all day, and drive back all in the same day. Albert was always a positive, friendly voice and presence in any setting. A devoted father and husband, each weekend he got up early to cook a big breakfast for his children to allow Helene to sleep in. And he supported her pursuit of her Bachelors degree at Stoneybrook University after the last child started elementary school, helping Helene juggle courses and household. He demonstrated to his children that men and women should share family, household and career responsibilities equally. Albert also showed his strong connection to his extended family by cheerfully driving the family thousands of miles from New York and Pittsburgh to Montreal, Houston, Chicago, and Denver to participate in weddings and visit relatives. He was an explorer and navigator, with an extraordinary memory for getting around cities where he had lived. On weekends he took the family on every kind of outing, from museums to hiking and cooking out in the nearby state parks. He loved following his Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates, and never missed the chance to watch Grand Slam tennis tournaments on TV. He was a devoted member of the synagogue where ever he resided and led his family in joyful observance of Jewish festivals, giving his four children a strong foundation in Jewish education and ethics. He took particular delight in leading Passover Seders, booming his portion from the Haggadah with the voice of God, as Rabbi Mahler of Temple Emmanuel used to say, and cleverly weaving each attendee's name into the content. Albert loved being outdoors and in the sunshine, and was dedicated to the preservation of the environment through the Sierra Club; in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor. A funeral service celebrating his life will be held on Friday, April 19, 2019, at 10 a.m. in the Suffrin Chapel at Beth El Synagogue, 1900 Cochran Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15220, with graveside ceremony to follow. Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb
