George Shenkman, 102, of Boca Raton, Fla., passed away at Hospice by The Sea, Boca Raton on June 10, 2017. Born Sept. 10, 1914 in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of the late Max Shenkman and Rebecca Tillis. His brother, Milton, predeceased him. His beloved wife of 75 years, Florence Littman, died on May 26, 2017. His spirit to live vanished once his life companion was no longer at his side. Raised in Great Barrington, Mass., he graduated from Searles High School in 1930. He received a BA degree in Business Administration from Bryant College in 1938. George and Florence were married on Nov. 2, 1941 in Sharon, Mass., and resided from 1941 to 1961 in Pawtucket, R.I., where they raised their family. George was drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1942 and served with distinction as a sergeant in the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Armored Division. He was extremely proud of his military service during World War II. His Division landed at Utah Beach in July, 1944. His decorated unit was the first American division to smash through the Siegfried Line at Wallendorf, Germany, and he saw major combat in the Hurtgen Forest during the Battle of the Bulge. He was a genuine entrepreneur. During high school, he opened up a hot dog stand at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds and used the profits to travel to California with a friend. After World War II, his business flourished. He was the founder and CEO of Pilgrim Mills, a fabric retail chain based in Brockton, Mass., and was the founder of the Yardstick Store in Brockton, one of the country’s earliest discount department stores. He was actively involved in real estate through his Pilgrim Development Corp. and also had interests in publishing. In 1961, Pilgrim Mills moved into the historic Cheney Hall in Manchester, Conn., and became a public company. He was an innovator and visionary in retail marketing and advertising. From 1961-1984, George and Florence resided in West Hartford, Conn. They then moved to Hallendale, Fla., in 1985 and eventually settled at St. Andrew’s Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. George was active in many civic and fraternal organizations throughout his life. He was most passionate about spending time on the sea on his boat, Pilgrim-Maid. He was especially proud to be a public speaking instructor with Dale Carnegie. George was a man of boundless energy, and stamina, who always exhibited a strong moral compass and a great sense of humor. George is survived by his son Mark and daughter-in-law Rosalind Shenkman of Greenwich, Conn.; his son Richard of Suffield, Conn.; three grandsons, Rabbi Andrew Shenkman of Edison, N.J., Gregory Shenkman of New York City, and Justin Slatky of New York City; and nine great-grandchildren: Isaac, Esther, Sarah, Pearl, Jacob, Wellesley and Grant Shenkman and Alex and Abby Slatky. Private graveside services were held on June 13, 2017 at Sharon Gardens, Valhalla, N.Y. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Gutterman-Warheit Memorial Chapel. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to The National WWII Museum, New Orleans.