Charles "Shulem" Friedlander's Obituary
Charles “Shulem” Friedlander passed away peacefully on March 18, 2019 at 100 years of age. Charles was a long time resident of Miami, known to many as Charlie, Uncle Charlie, Chaz and PPC. He joins his brothers Harold, Emanuel and Benjamin who predeceased him. The best way to tell the story of Charlies’ life is in his own words that he wrote a few years ago.
“In my early days as a newspaper reporter, I was assigned many interviews but the one I was working on now is absolutely the most difficult assignment ever. The interview of me. H-e-e-e-r-e-‘-s C H A R L I E! Born? Yes, on December 16, 1918, in a little town in Queens County, New York, Astoria, Long Island. This town had two claims to fame. They shot movies there and the Steinway Piano Factory. We lived a block from the factory. We’re talking 1918, just after the end of World War I. I was born (you do the math). My name was Saul until my mom had a dream that her father died. So at the age of 6, my name was changed to Charles.
We soon moved to Long Beach, Long Island, where I grew up and graduated from High School. No money for college so I got a job with RH Macy as a stock boy starting at $22 per week. That only lasted about a year because a little item like World War II came along and Chaz became an early draftee into the U.S. Army. Actually it was March 3, 1941. I’m not going into details of World War II but we trained in Ft. Benning, GA and one day we answered the call to action, Omaha Beach in Normandy. I could fill a book of war stories but for this piece, we’ll rely on the old description “War is Hell”, with one exception. While in combat in France and Germany, I wrote a column called “Diary of a Draftee”. With some luck, it was picked up by a Florida newspaper and published by dozens of newspapers all over the country. That column changed my life.
After the war ended, we sailed home on the old Queen Elizabeth. Three months later I was a cub reporter on the Bethlehem Globe Times, a daily newspaper in Pennsylvania. I had married just before leaving for overseas duty.
Time marches on. I left my job in Bethlehem for a position as public relations director for a large furniture company in Miami (man this boy really moves around). That job lasted exactly two weeks (I won’t go into details) but my next position was a copy writer for a local advertising agency. There I received my training in the ad business and in a few years began star-gazing. I opened my own advertising agency and eventually it was Charles Friedlander Advertising, Inc. We specialized in hotel promotion and our clients were many of the big name hotels like the Fountainbleau, The Sherry Frontenac, The Saxony, The Eden Roc and the Sans Souci.
Moving right along, I took a job as marketing director of a housing community in Bartow, Florida. That was a career changing move. The job took over six years to complete and during that time I picked up two new accounts. I finally retired back in Miami in 1986.
Of course, the most important part of my life now is my lovely daughter Meredith and son-in-law Donald… and their progeny consisting of three wonderful grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. OK, that’s my story and as the saying goes… “You’re stuck with it”.
Charlie is survived by the love of his life, his daughter Meredith (Donald) Tendrich, grandchildren Jennifer (Asi) Alon, Michael (Sonia) Tendrich and Stephen Tendrich and 5 adoring great-grandchildren Joi, Zoe, Shaun, Lauryn and Megan. The family wishes to offer special thanks to Howard Friedlander who has been so giving and caring during Charlie’s later years. A private family funeral will be held. Arrangements by Levitt Weinstein Blasberg Rubin Zilbert (305) 932-2700.
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