Paul R. Aronson ’48, P’81

Paul R. Aronson ’48, P’81 died on August 13, 2020 in West Newton, Massachusetts.       

(The following was published by The Boston Globe on August 15, 2020)

Photo of Paul Aronson '48, P'81

Paul R. Aronson ’48, P’81

Paul Robert Aronson Age 93, died on August 13th. The son of Nathan and Gertrude Aronson, of blessed memory, Paul was raised in Swampscott, MA, where his grandparents were among the first Jewish residents of that seaside town.

At 15, Paul was one of the youngest graduates of Swampscott High School. He received a B.A. from Bowdoin College in 1948, and served in the US Coast Guard Merchant Marines. Paul and his late wife, Lenore (Leni), of blessed memory, raised their four children in Swampscott until 1972, when they moved to Chestnut Hill. Paul and Leni summered in Stockbridge, MA, where they graciously hosted family and friends for more than three decades, and centered their lives around Tanglewood, the Berkshire International Film Festival, and the theater community. Paul and Leni retired to Loomis Village in South Hadley, MA, where Paul remained after Leni’s death in 2017.

An avid tennis player and skier, Paul skied slopes and trails from New England to Europe. He and Leni loved international travel, theater, music and art, a love they shared with their children and grandchildren.

Paul’s work life began at Goldberg’s Furniture Company, his family’s furniture business in Lynn, MA, where he honed sales and financial skills, later becoming an investment advisor, from which he retired at age 83.

Paul served on the board of the American Jewish Committee, representing the AJC as an American Ambassador to their ground-breaking Berlin, Germany, conference. He also served as a board member at Temple Israel of Boston.

For the last ten years, Paul enjoyed his expanding family, playing bridge and reading. A history and politics buff, Paul happily conversed on worldwide events.

Paul is survived by his children Lisa Newmann (Sandy Sanderson) of Stockbridge, MA, Steffi Aronson Karp (Eric H. Karp) of Waban, MA, Michael Aronson (Rebecca Aronson) of Amherst, MA, Nancy Aronson of Arlington, MA; his grandchildren: Joshua, Dan, and Adam Karp (Rachel Bond), Jeremy, Allegra, and Sage Aronson, Jeff (Lauren), and Jill Sanderson, and his great-grandchildren Henry, Leah and Reid Sanderson. Paul also leaves his sister, Dorothy Kardon (Donald Kardon) of Philadelphia, PA, as well as his companion, Maud Fischer, who shared with Paul a love for bridge, books, film and history.

Paul proudly sported an anti-Trump pin on his clothing since November 2016, and he will continue to wear that pin on his shroud into eternity. On the evening before he died, Paul R. Aronson gave one of his last smiles at the news that Joe Biden named Kamala Harris as his running mate.

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