2024 was a difficult year for many reasons. For my wife and me, the most difficult part was the loss of Irwin and Harriet Kurlander, my wife’s parents, my parents-in-law. Both lived full and long lives, living to the age of 95 and never losing any of their strong wills and personalities.
Irwin was born in New York City, in Brooklyn, on September 12, 1928. He attended and graduated from City College (CUNY) before a career in the garment industry and as a business owner, in New York. He served in the United States Army, in Germany, in the early 1950s. He passed away on February 1, 2024.
Harriet (née Greenstein) was born in the Bronx, New York City on April 19, 1929. She was a passionate advocate and activist for women’s rights and human rights and worked as an organizer and fundraiser in non-profits in New York and South Florida. She passed away on November 20, 2024.
Together Harriet and Irwin raised three children, including my wife. They retired to South Florida, living in Boca Raton and later the Fort Lauderdale area. They are interred at The Gardens at Boca Raton in Boca Raton Florida.
While they serve as role models to me in many ways, from their work ethic to their passionate beliefs, it is their 70 years of marriage and their unconditional love for each other that I will always hold most dear and aspire to equal.
Eric M. Wolf 