Obituary
Sanford "Sandy" Silverman, 87, passed away on May 18. Surprisingly to those who knew him well, it was quiet and peaceful after a brief illness. Sandy was a true character who made sure those around him were aware of his opinions. And while he could come across as cranky, those of us who knew him best knew that he was really a big, sentimental softie. He was devoted to our mother, Lois, nee Weiss, both during their nearly 60 year marriage and through the years of his widowerhood. He spent his youth and many years of his adulthood caring for his mother, Belle, until her passing in 1990; while he didn't really know his father Lawrence, who passed away when he was very young, his love was evident in naming his first-born after him. He took great interest in the lives and doings of his sons Lawrence (Jennifer), Ian (Meredith), and Bradley (Octavia). He was a loving "Poppa" to Joshua (Becky Hamilton), Hannah, Jaden, Lily, Parker, and Bailey Silverman and Rudy Craig. He was enamored of his great-granddaughter Summer and looked forward to meeting his newest great-granddaughter Winnie, who joined us on the day of his passing to even out the scales of life.
Sandy lived a full life. For many years he was involved with B'nai B'rith both as a bowler and in elected leadership positions. Years ago, he and Lois were involved in City of Hope and other charitable organizations. Sandy helped run Skokie Youth Baseball when we were kids, as a coach and an organizational leader. He spent his career at Commerce Clearing House, a publishing company, where he edited law journals and would bring us to visit the print shop when we were little. After retiring from CCH, he kept busy with a number of jobs.
Sandy was a proud veteran, and it took little prompting for him to share the stories of his Army service in the 1960s, where he seemed to do more carousing than soldiering. But his time there was formative, and he clearly looked on those years as seminal in molding who he became as an adult.
But the most important event in his life was meeting our mother, through her cousin Nancy and his friend Chuck. He was always willing to share the story of their first date, where they went into a movie and came out engaged. And how he never actually proposed. And how being engaged meant he got to sit in the front seat of her Corvair when she drove them all to work. And how she wanted to wait to turn 21 to get married so she could legally drink at the wedding. And how the rabbi was late to the ceremony. And how he could forgive Chuck for introducing them. And so on. Anyone who knew him knew his deep devotion to our mother, especially the care he took as her health declined in her final years. And the pride he took in having built a family and a life with her, two parents who grew up without fathers, to where he could look at his family and accomplishments with pride and fulfillment.
Our father will be missed. His insistence on a life well lived has shaped the lives of so many around him, and we will feel his absence in our lives in ways yet to be realized.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. Chapel service Monday, May 25, 10 AM at Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights. Interment to follow at Shalom Memorial Park. For a link to view the service, shiva information, and to leave condolences: www.shalommemorial.org, 847-255-3520.