Jack Berkovitz
BERKOVITZ: Jack Berkovitz died peacefully on Aug. 21, 2023. Born in Pittsburgh in 1930, he attended Schenley High School until he was 15, but, in 1945, his family moved to Los Angeles. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles in 1947. At the age of 19, Jack returned to Pittsburgh to visit relatives and friends and met Phyllis Goldman. After knowing each other for only three weeks, they married and remained married for almost 71 years, until Phyllis’ death in 2021. Jack became a jeweler and business owner and did not retire until the age of 91. Jack had many passionate interests. He was a gifted amateur musician, playing the clarinet and, in later years, the recorder. He loved many genres of music but especially classical music, attending concerts, listening to recordings, and reading about composers and musicians. He became an avid skier and bicyclist and organized long-distance bike trips that attracted significant numbers of other local cyclists. He was fascinated by the technological advances that he witnessed during his lifetime, learning to use technology personally and reading about tech companies. He surprised his family by his awareness of several cutting-edge innovations long before they became popular, including YouTube and Google. He was an autodidact, who also loved history, politics and sports. Jack was a deeply caring person, who felt great pleasure in helping those in need. His focus was on individuals, whom he would help for long periods of time in whatever way he could. He was a jokester, with a wicked sense of humor, which was outrageous at times, and he had a playful nature, which found expression in his interactions with children and dogs. He was fearless in teaching young people to drive and gave many their first driving lessons. Jack was a highly independent and unique individual who was loved dearly by his family and friends and will be missed greatly. In addition to his wife, Jack was predeceased by his infant son Lee and his brother Martin. Jack is survived by his daughter Darlene Berkovitz (Robert Zinn); his grandchildren Andrew Zinn and Eleanor Zinn; his brother-in-law Murray Goldman (Marg Goldman); his nieces Aida Berkovitz, Trista Berkovitz (Stephen Pegors), Lisa Van Nostrand (Thomas Van Nostrand), Amy Dyson (Peter Dyson); beloved great-nieces and nephew, cousins and devoted friends. The burial was private, and a memorial celebration of his life will be held on Oct. 1, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 600 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC
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