Irwin Greenblatt 78, of Lawrenceville, NJ passed away peacefully on September 18, 2023, at Lawrence Rehabilitation Hospital.
Irwin was born in the Bronx, NY in 1945. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Audrey, son Ryan Greenblatt of Rydal, PA, son Darren Greenblatt and his husband Samuel Hunt of Princeton, NJ, and his beloved granddaughters Maya and Olive.
He received his BS in History and earned his Master’s Degree from Temple University, in Philadelphia, and was a career educator.
Irwin lived a life of service teaching, giving back to teenagers for over 50 years. Irwin and Audrey owned and operated a high school for at-risk kids in Philadelphia for 35 years. After retiring to NYC in his mid fifties he started a second career – for 15 years – as a permanent substitute teacher at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, later at Princeton Day School, after moving to New Jersey in 2017.
Irwin had a passion for travel and spending time with family, especially his granddaughters. He found peace and tranquility at Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz, NY, for over 70 years, where he had gone with his parents as a child. He then brought this special place to new generations with his children and granddaughters, with regular visits over the past 30 years.
He was a devote of history, England, Shakespeare and was a Winston Churchill aficionado. Irwin could recount the ruling British monarch at anytime in history. But it was his lifetime love of cars, especially from the 1950s, that shaped him from an early age, and would often find continuity/inaccuracies in period films with cars dated after the movie was set. He could see a small automobile detail, such as a grille, wheel or dashboard and know the make, model and year of the car it belonged to.
Audrey and Irwin’s “retired” life in NYC felt like a vacation for them, with theatre, street-fairs, time with family and friends, and restaurants until his health declined. Irwin credited NYC, his doctors and hospital there for saving his life.
With Audrey by his side Irwin survived pancreatic cancer for over 10 years, and most recently dementia and a heart attack. He is finally at peace.
Funeral Services are private.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Irwin’s name to www.alznj.org or pancan.org
What a beautiful tribute. We love you, Greenblatt family. Our hearts are with you. We are so sad but relieved that Irwin is at peace, at last. Here for you. All our a BUNISH love, forever. 💜
My friend, my mentor, my role model and the man who I revered tremendously and who helped shape me to be the professional and father that I am today. I missed you so much over these years (but you stayed in my heart and soul). I just wish we had one more conversation (one of our “talks”). I think you would have gotten a kick out of my career after education – the automotive industry. Who would have thought. My love to the Greenblatt family forever. I remember it all – the laughs, the food, the “kids”/students/families, the tears and our journey from 1996-2003.
Ethan you were an unforgettable teacher and admin assistant for many years at our school. We shared so many good ( and crazy) experiences. We lived in NYC for 17 amazing years and loved every exciting moment. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 2/2013, NYC hospitals and doctors saved his life. Dementia has no good outcome. We’ve loved our quieter life in Lawrenceville being closer to our family. Thanks for the beautiful and kind words.
I am sad to come across this on the internet. The Greenblatts were tremendous people, and gave so many less fortunate kids like myself a chance to do something with our lives. I was a graduate of Student ed in May 97, and I can look back at the opportunity to get an education as a significant reason why I am where I am today, when I couldn’t get by in other learning environments. Mr and Mrs G ‘got it”. They understood and didn’t focus on little things and excessive discipline. They gave so many a chance.
I also remember Mr Bell as he was new to the school on my way out in 1997.
I tried to message Mrs. G on Facebook many years ago to express this but its probably stuck in the message request box. I wish Mr G heard it and I hope he knows how many people were helped in that program. Thank you, Mr. And Mrs. G for being understanding and for realizing potential in people and understanding what is important. I’ll never forget Mr G. Rest in peace.