LEWISTON — The last thing he did was catch a fish off his beloved boat on Flying Pond in Vienna, his wife of 63 years there to snap his picture — Alan D. Nemlich was full of life to the end.

Born in Lawrence, N.Y., Alan was raised on a farm in Croton, N.Y. He graduated from Adelphi University in 1951, and served in the Air Force until 1955. After his discharge, he worked for his father in the furniture business, then opened his own store in Elmsford, N.Y., in 1959. Regan of Westchester advertised itself as “Westchester’s only office furniture department store” and became the largest office furniture store, serving not only Westchester, but New York City and Rockland County as well. He served as chairman of the Better Business Bureau for those same three counties for an unprecedented two terms.

He became a charter member of the Elmsford Rotary Club in 1959, serving as president twice and as district governor for Westchester, Bronx, Staten Island and Bermuda, N.Y., in 1981-82. Rotary was Alan’s religion, the place he found community and direction for his life. He had perfect attendance for more than 50 years and always lived by the Four-Way Test. Declaring “it’s payback time,” he devoted himself to community service projects through Rotary, the largest being a project to ship used hospital equipment to developing countries all over the world.

Having sold the business and retired in 1991, he and Magda left their longtime home in Scarsdale, N.Y., in 2010. Thereafter they lived half the year in Allentown, Pa., and half in Farmington. In Farmington, he found friends and a new Rotary Club to devote himself to.

Alan was treasured by all who knew him for his irrepressible personality and sense of humor. He loved boating, fishing, reading, home construction projects, Westerns, football and most of all, his family.

In 1948, he met the love of his life, Magda Eichenwald, at a party and proposed two weeks later. They were married in January 1950. They shared 63 loving years together and were never apart.

He is survived by his wife, Magda; brother, Lee; three children, daughter, Karen Komlos and husband, Dennis, of Orefield, Pa., son, Aryeh Ben-David and wife, Sandra, of Efrat, Israel, and daughter, Victoria Cohen and husband, Jonathan, of Farmington;  grandchildren, Jedd, Shachar, Ma’ayan, Amichai, Samuel, Yaniv, Rosa, Nell, Ra’aya, Eli, Lilach and Miriam; and five great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his parents, Bernard and Jeanetty; and by an older brother, Ian.

Condolences and tributes may be shared on Alan’s memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.


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