Richard Slavin

Richard K. Slavin

August 16, 1933 – January 5, 2022

Richard Kenneth Slavin, age 88, passed away peacefully in the evening of January 5, 2022 after a long and difficult journey through Alzheimer’s disease.

Mr. Slavin was born in The Bronx, NY. The son of Jack and Lillian (Kitty) Slavin, he was the older of two children and spent his early life on Undercliff Avenue, living on a block surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School at age 16 and earned a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Fordham University in 1954. After college, he fulfilled his ROTC obligation by serving as head of the hospital pharmacy at Ft. Devons, Massachusetts for three years.

Mr. Slavin married June Barbara Lippman in 1954 and they enjoyed 64 years together before her death in 2018. They had two daughters, Mindy (Slavin) Langer of Princeton Junction, NJ, and Susan (Slavin) Greenberg of Dripping Springs, TX. He is survived by his two daughters and their husbands, Corey Langer and Mark Greenberg. He was very proud of his two grandchildren and their spouses, Adina Jocelyn Langer (Matthew DeAngelis) and Micah Philip Langer (Danielle Winter) and his three great-grandchildren: Leo and Ilana DeAngelis and Maurice Josiah Langer.

Mr. Slavin began his career as a pharmacist in his father’s drugstore, and then became head of hospital pharmacies at Lenox Hill Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. From there he moved into a career in hospital administration, earning an MBA degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was Associate Director of Mount Sinai Hospital for 12 years, and then moved to Miami Lakes, FL in 1975 to become Director of Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, FL. He and his wife lived in the Miami area for over 40 years, before moving to Princeton, NJ in 2017. They were also a part of a close-knit community in Steamboat Springs, CO, where they spent summers between 1995 and 2016.

Mr. Slavin was respected by his colleagues and staff for his wise and effective administration and organizational abilities. He was a good friend and an avid golfer. He served on the boards of many Jewish charitable organizations and synagogues; he eventually became President of virtually every organization he belonged to. Despite his tragic decline into dementia over the past five years, he will be remembered with affection and respect by everyone who knew him during his life.

Funeral services are Sunday, January 9 at The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Attendees must be fully vaccinated, if of appropriate age, and masked. Safety protocols will be strictly observed. The service may also be viewed by livestream, please contact The Jewish Center for access. Burial will follow in Cedar Park Cemetery, Paramus, NJ.

Shiva will be observed entirely on Zoom, Sunday through Tuesday. please contact The Jewish Center to participate.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Jewish Center (TheJewishCenter.org) or to Jewish Community Services of South Florida (jcsfl.org)