Myron Edelstein, 1928-2012: Business owner later sold real estate
7/16/2012Myron Edelstein, an accomplished local businessman who prized personal relationships, died Sunday at the inpatient unit of Hospice of Northwest Ohio.
He was 84.
Mr. Edelstein's health had been in decline for several years and had taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, his daughter, Ann Kisin, said.
Ms. Kisin most vividly remembered her father's relationship with his wife, Janice.
"Their love for each other, I can't describe it.
"They got married and spent 62 years breathing for each other. That sort of love just doesn't happen now," she said.
Mr. Edelstein met his wife when both were students at Ohio State University, where Mr. Edelstein pursued a degree in business and joined the business honors society.
The couple married in 1950, just two weeks after becoming engaged.
"I think he realized he was graduating and that he had to seal the deal pretty quickly," explained Ms. Kisin.
After the marriage, the newlyweds immediately moved to Joliet, Ill., where Mr. Edelstein attended laundry school.
His studies prepared him for work at the family business, Toledo Towel Supply Co., founded by Mr. Edelstein's great-uncle.
Mr. Edelstein was vice president of the company when it merged with Pheasant Linen in 1962 and became the area's largest linen supply company.
Mr. Edelstein eventually became president of the firm.
In response to shifts in the industry, he sold the company to Midwest Linens four decades ago, a decision Ms. Kisin described as difficult for him.
Mr. Edelstein then went on to a successful career in real estate.
He began at Danberry Co. Realtors before moving with his colleague and friend Cliff Loss to Loss Real Estate.
He was frequently recognized as a top seller and won awards as salesman of the month, his wife recalled.
He worked until the age of 74.
After his retirement in 2002, Mr. Edelstein was a regular on the golf course at the Stone Oak Country Club and traveled widely with his wife, taking trips throughout the United States and to Asia, Africa, and Australia.
He was also active in Toledo's Jewish community, as a member of the Congregation B'nai Israel and The Temple Congregation Shomer Emunim.
He was a former president of Jewish Family Services.
A Toledo native — he was born in the city on Feb. 16, 1928, to Arthur and Faye Goldstein, and he graduated from Scott High School in 1946 — Mr. Edelstein was an avid fan of Ohio sports, especially his alma mater's teams.
Despite his declining health, he summoned the energy to call his daughter recently to tease her when Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander performed poorly.
"There was his weak voice on the phone, saying, ‘What's wrong with your team? Your pitcher got an injured arm or something?'?" Ms. Kisin recalled.
In each of his roles, according to his wife and daughter, Mr. Edelstein most enjoyed the people he encountered.
"He didn't swear. He never talked badly about people," Ms. Kisin said, describing her father as the man whom everybody loved and who loved everybody.
Surviving are his wife, Janice, and daughter, Ann Kisin.
Services are scheduled Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Temple Congregation Shomer Emunim.
The family suggests tributes to the charity of the donor's choice.
Contact Jessica Shor at: jshor@theblade.com or 419-724-6516.