Chester James Freund was born on March 28, 1927 in Brooklyn, N.Y. and passed away on Jan. 22, 2012 at the age of 84 in Tavernia, Fla. after a long illness. He was the only child of Clifford and Celia Freund of Brooklyn, N.Y. and attended Erasmus High School until 1945 when he entered the Navy. He was married to Beatrice Stovitz of Flatbush, N.Y. and served in the Navy during the end of World War II.  He and his father Clifford before him worked in the furniture business for a combined total of over 80 years.  He divorced Beatrice Freund in 1975 and remarried Josephine Rosenwald. He retired to Florida over a decade ago.   He is the father of Rabbi Dr. Richard Freund and Eliane Freund and grandfather of Yonatan, Eli and Ethan of West Hartford, and the father of Andrea (Freund) Eisen and Dr. Richard Eisen and grandfather of Joshua Eisen of Wilton, father of Sharon (Freund) Rockmaker and Dr. Jody Rockmaker of Tempe, Ariz. and grandfather of Rebecca and Sam, and father of Charles Freund and Renee Freund and grandfather of Glenn (of blessed memory) and Clifford of Tucson, Ariz., and stepfather of Emanuel and David Rosenwald and their children and grandchildren. The family observed mourning in Florida and at the home of Andrea and Richard Eisen in Wilton.  He is buried at Mount Nebo Cemetery in Miami.

On Monday, Feb. 27, 2012, at 7 p.m. in memory of his father, Dr. Freund will deliver a lecture entitled: “Death and Burial in Archaeology and Historical Judaism” at the University of Hartford’s Mali II Lecture Hall. Registration required, with limited seating available. Please call (860) 768-4964.

Contributions in Chester’s memory may be directed to the Israel Activities Fund, Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT.