The Funeral of Robert N. Poston ZT"L נטע בן שלמה February 3, 2026 Shvat 16 5786

In order to respect the memory of Bob Poston, we have a number of speakers today. And we're going to start off with Phyllis who wants to say a few words followed by Lori and Aron David and then a number of the grandchildren who are going to come up al together and some of them will say a few words. I'm going to ask Phyllis to please come up now. >> First of all, thank you all for being here. You have no idea how much I appreciate it and my children appreciate it and my grandchildren. Uh, this is really a letter to my husband. I remember when we met on a blind date in 1958. Some of your first words to me on the phone were, "You won't be sorry." And through 67 years of knowing you, there were of course times when I questioned my understanding of you. But we had fightability. I made up that word. You always came through for our marriage because it had to be my way. as Sinatra Z. All that you taught me can cannot be put on one page, but would take 67 more years of telling it. But we'll start with while we were engaged, you lent me your car and taught me how to drive, something my father wouldn't. You taught me to trust myself to learn something new. And we did a lot of learning in Israel and in the United States. learning Torah and we tried to learn the alphabet but we only got up to lama. You never stopped making suggestions and most of them were right on. You may not have been a scholar, but you were street smart and good to all of your family and friends throughout your entire life with money, with advice, and always showing fairness in all of your friendships and business. You loved very strongly, but you couldn't often find the words. So, you just called everyone anytime to say, "Hi, how are you?" Even though I said, 'You might be bothering them. You were everyone's rock and pillar. And they would say, 'What would Bob say? What would Bobby do? Just a plain guy, no pretenses, just Mr. Timex himself. He loved that watch even though it didn't fit him anymore. It was way too big. And his every nurse, every aid, every doctor really loved you. and you loved them back and you shocked us all by leaving so soon. You will be lo remembered lovingly and dearly by all the cousins, all the friends, all the children, grandchildren, and especially me. That's it. There's the tissues. Oh my god, my phone keeps beeping when people sign into the Zoom. I'm sorry. It's just my phone. Um, and thank you all on Zoom for being there. I'm Lori, his oldest. Daddy, you are going to be so missed. You were a wonderful father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather, and an amazing husband and partner to mommy. The two of you always showed up whenever and wherever you were needed. Whether it meant flying up from Florida to watch the kids so we could go on vacation, actually getting on your knees to pull staples out of our hardwood floors so we could refinish them a little more effectively costwise, or standing in front of a hot barbecue cooking burgers at one one of our many summer barbecue backyard parties. You and mom were truly a team. She would schle the kids to their activities or pick them up from school. And you would usually stop by on your way home from the union, which often led to you both staying for dinner. You would usually fall asleep on the couch until she nudged you to go home. You did so much together, and you did it with love. When you and mom started going to Florida, you retired from being a hands-on electrical contractor with the union and took an office job working for them on Spring Garden Street. It was more flexible and you could negotiate everything over the phone, which you loved. You flew back to Philly once a month and always stopped in for a visit with the kids. You loved that job with IBW98 and the people that you worked with and everyone there loved you right back. They loved you so much. I've had so many texts and phone calls. [snorts] You actually love the union so much that your entire wardrobe consisted of IBW [laughter] local 98 embroidered shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, and hats. >> That's not wearing it. And really anything that could be printed with the Union logo. One of my fondest memories is holding your hands when I was very little. Your hands were the softest hands I ever felt. And I always felt safe when you held mine. You didn't have to say much. I just knew I was protected. You worked hard. And I remember how strong you were. I thought you had the biggest muscles and used to ask you to flex for me all the time. You were a very good friend and always ready with helpful advice. Whether you were asked for it or not, you would always ask if you could make a suggestion, but you really didn't wait for the answer. You just couldn't help yourself. You love help people. When any one of us had an issue with a purchase or felt that we were treated unfairly, we used to joke, "Let's get Papa to write a letter." We knew that if anyone could make it better and straighten things out, it was you. We used to say you were a professional cla claim uh complainer slashprosolver and chief letterw writer. Letterw writing was done by with mom's help. You weren't intimidated by anyone or any company no matter how big. You believed it was important to call out any business large or small that sold or service something that was inferior or simply not fair. After our Disney cruise in 2001, you contacted Disney's headquarters to reprimand them for having only Christmas decorations and nothing for Hanukkah. They sent you a Disney character stuffed bear wearing a keypa and a t-shirt with a Jewish star. We still put that bear out every Hanukkah. You and mom gave me and my siblings so much. You made family a priority. When we were growing up, we lived around the corner from my mom and popup and Aunt Reeba and Uncle Jack. I would ride my bike over there after school to watch soap operas with my mom, get candy from Uncle Jack, or on weekends play pool with Papa. Living near family was just what we did. You sold your house in Northeast Philly, leaving behind so many dear friends. And you moved to King of Prussia just to be closer to me, Ray, and the kids. That meant more than you probably ever realized. It was truly a win-win for all of us. My kids got to spend so much time with you both before you moved to Florida full-time. And the summers in Longport, having you and mom stay with us for a few days every July and August were one of the greatest gifts. Pam and Albert loved having you to visit. You would fell together over Danny and Michael and have fabulous dinners out and enjoyed sharing those eating moments together. Those summers were some of our happiest memories. You and mom were so incredibly kind and loving to my in-laws. What started as Mishbaha grew into a true friendship. You generally genuinely cared for one another, spent time together, and shared real connection both in Philly and in Florida. And that generosity of heart showed the kind of people you both were. Leading by example is how true legacies are created. Dad, you showed us how to love deeply, stand up for what's right, show up for family, and always help someone that needs it. Your values, your strength, your kindness and your love live on in all of us. We are better because of you and we will carry you with us all. Love you. I want to thank everybody for coming the rabbi for organizing this and uh every everybody everybody who sent condolences whether through WhatsApp emails came personally I just want to mention a certain ha before I start that it's forbidden to exaggerate too much and therefore everything say absolutely true the men of our family. We all married into royalty. Sam married a bat levi. Dad married a bat cohain. Even though he was so strong both physically and emotionally, he very strong personality. He was actually shaped into the man that he was because of my mother. can't read what I wrote. I I was his only son. He never let me forget it. He actually taught me some of the most important lessons for life that thank God I continue and I think I'm only religious because of him. Imagine in a reformed synagogue they open the ark and give me an elbow. It's time to stand up. But dad, why Torah? There was nothing he couldn't fix. He had every tool, every screw, every bolt, every nut that anybody in construction could ever dream of. Everyone called him for advice. He was always on the phone in the evenings anyway when he was home. Can't imagine what it was like during the the day. He was always helping everyone with their problems. And he never took any money. All the neighbors and cousins whoever had problems would ask him and he would give advice. And of course he would um re make recommendations for people who would actually do it because uh he told me that if he did it once he'll never stop. He was never ever late. His word was his word. It was I'm going to say biblical. He was loyal. He was dependent. He was trustworthy. Manut absolutely loyal as uh my sister mentioned was in construction and the union we used to drive around Philly wherever he went and he point to a building said we built that I can't even list but I know the Philadelphia Mint was on the top of the list Jefferson Hospital so many others he was exceedingly humble and modest. I never I never saw him smoke or drink. And he was extremely that word is understated responsible not only to himself but for his family. And he was like an old bottle of wine. It only got better with age. Wisdom. He he he might have been wise when you met him, but uh I saw as a as a young child until till till the last days how much wisdom he had. He had the most amount of keys [clears throat] that I ever saw, I'm sure, in the entire universe. So I told him, "You must be you must be a very important person." And his answer to me was, "No, the important people have doors open for them. They don't carry keys. And today, the doors are open. I look forward to dancing with you for the resurrection of the dead. >> I would like to ask the grandchildren to please come forward. >> Hi everyone. Thank you so much for being here today to honor our popup. For those of you who don't know us, we are Danielle and Michael, Lori and Ray's kids. We grew up in Villanova, just a few miles away from Bobby and Papa. growing up. I always had heard stories about how my popup was the tough guy. But the pop-up I knew, he was the one that gave us we took my brother Michael and me to the AMC and then to the farm for ice cream. And with every year that I knew my grandfather, he became kinder, softer, and more gentle than the year before. Cared so deeply about everyone in his life. If you ever told him something was wrong, whether it was with you or someone that you loved, he called every day to check in and make sure everything was okay. if there was even a hint of bad weather coming to the New York area. Even though he lived in Florida, he was glued to the news, waiting to make sure that we were safe. He was always the first call I'd get when it was too hot or too cold, just to make sure the heat or air conditioning was working, the power was on, and that everyone was taken care of. >> Our popup had wit and charm unlike anyone I'd ever met. From the cashiers at BJ's to the sweet way he would talk about our buddy and how lucky he was to have her by his side, he knew how to make people feel special. He never stopped thanking us for being his grandchildren and telling us how lucky he was to have us as well. When we would tell him that we were the lucky ones to have him as our popup and that >> [clears throat] >> much prefer talking and learning about you and what you do. nearly every week called check in and this famous popup call. He would and talk about his speaking in that moment and mentioning you [clears throat] in the third person before quickly catching himself. Despite that, Papa had an impressive memory. Would recall specific details or stories. >> He was stubborn. I got a kick out of it. N years ago, my mom and I surprised him for his 84th birthday in Florida before my parents lived here. So, it was really unexpected. We didn't call ahead. He just showed up at his house, walked straight into his office where he was watching TV and yelled, "Surprise!" And for the life of him, he would not admit that he was surprised as if he had been expecting us the whole time. But we knew we surprised him. Popup loved calling people, as you've heard a few times already today. Especially as he got older, I noticed that he really prioritized these frequent catchups. And I think that he liked that it kept him busy and engaged with his loved ones. If you knew him personally, there's a very good chance that you were part of his weekly call rotation. But especially over the last year and a half since my firstborn, Abigail, was born. I got to hear from him almost every day. He wanted to FaceTime with Abby. He loved her so much. and facetiming with him brought with her brought in so much joy. In the short year and a half that they knew each other, they formed such a sweet relationship. And a few weeks ago, I was able to introduce him to my six-month-old baby, Ya. [snorts] He loved her from the moment he met her as well. And I'm so grateful that they had an opportunity to meet. I have so many voicemails, texts, and emails from Pop that I will cherish forever. On the evening of February 1st, after he passed, my husband Jonathan and I sat together and we listened through all the voicemails. There were so many. We sat, we laughed, and we felt his presence so deeply. Jonathan and Popup also shared a really special relationship which I loved and I know Jonathan really valued. They spoke on the phone often and Popup never ended a conversation without reminding us how lucky we were to have each other and to never lose sight of what matters. Pop-up was so excited by the nonprofit that I founded, Snack. I have a series of voicemails of him pretending to be national news outlets calling to do a story on his granddaughter. In May 2020, he decided to take upon himself to write personal letters to a bunch of news outlets about snack. The email I received from him was no subject line. I sent seven letters. Lester Holt at NBC News. The Rachel Ray Show, Kelly Ripa, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, ABC Nightly News, Good Morning America, Robin Roberts. Period. End of email. >> Papa really loved his grand his children, his grandchildren and great great grandchildren so much. He was our biggest cheerleader. Go. Here is her email. She's cute and single, too. He would say with a smirk. That was Popup. He believed in the people he loved. He showed He showed up by checking in, by worrying, by cheering us on, and by wanting to help. We We miss you already so very much, and we'll do all that we can to carry your memories and your legacy on. And I know that wherever you are now, there's plenty of lifetime supply of cashews for you as well. [laughter] Hey everyone, for those who don't know who we are, my name is Jack Slommo, Elijah were the three Bullix, including Michael and Papa was one of the most loving, caring, and kind people I've ever been lucky enough to meet and even luckier to call my grandfather. When we were kids in Israel, Bobby and Papa would come to visit us and those visits were something we're truly looked forward to. Having our grandparents come from America was always very special as they always came as as they never came emptyed. One of the things I loved most about spending time with papa in Israel was the main streets of Jerusalem and what he loved most show our money. He also handed us money as kids to go ahead and pay for the food and we would always argue of who's going to do it because he always let us keep the change. That was popup. Always kind generous and in very good spirits. I received screen popup's name came up. When I answered it was Bobby. [laughter] So everything that happened and how it happened and one thing that really stuck to me was one of the last things that papa told her. He told her, "I am loved." This is something that really stayed with me because it's exactly how papa make me feel. always loved and I'm sure everyone here feels the same. I would like to finish up. I love you. >> I'm just going to say a few words. Um me and my we spoke on the phone a lot. he would call me and he told me it's because he wanted to make sure that I feel loved uh and cared for. He knew I was on my own and he and it mattered to him that I never felt alone. He had a special name for me. Sorry, Camry. He called me little Heather and Shira Sima. Intellig every call made me happy. I love my popup so much. You know ask about everyone about Yakova all the kids all the babies Roy [clears throat] even though he already spoke to them probably on the phone like he'd still ask about them. He cared about everyone. Uh it was so important important for him to know like that everyone's okay. I'd always say everyone's fine, you know, because it made him feel good. [sighs and gasps] He spoke so lovingly about my bubby every time he would say how well she took care of him and how grateful he was for her. He always said, "We love you." We meaning both of them together. That love, that steady and unconditional love is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. So, thank you papa and thank everyone for there was so much fed. There was a common theme A theme of love, a theme of dedication, theme of concern, and a theme of family. Everybody spoke so well, so beautifully. So I'm left as the final speaker with all the information I heard yesterday already spoken about. And therefore all I'm left with is a little bit from this week's Torah portion. See, often the Torah portion of the week has a relationship with the events of the week. And there are two important components that we find in this week's Torah portion. The first one talks about the elder statesman, Yro, Yetro, Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, the father-in-law of Moshe. And it only speaks about him for one paragraph, but that one paragraph talks about what he did. And the main thing that he did is give suggestions. He gave ideas to Moses. He told him what he should do. Moses, the greatest Jew that ever lived, had a father-in-law who said, "I know a little bit better." And when I was reading the Torah portion and I thought about Bob and I was told that he loved giving suggestions, it sort of resonated with me, the comparison. But there's a deeper comparison that I wanted to speak about. See, in this week's Torah portion, we also read the Ten Commandments. And the fifth of the Ten Commandments is honor thy father and thy mother. And the rabbis say, "The rules apply not only while they're living, but even posumously." And when I heard not only Phyllis but his daughter, his son, his grandchildren speak. There is no greater honor that somebody can receive than hearing how much they're missed, how much they're loved, how much they're cared for. You know, a rabbi say in the tomud when it talks about King David, it uses a very strange terminology says David and David slept with his fathers. And the rabbis of the Talmet ponder, why doesn't it use that verb slept? Why doesn't it say the truth and he died? And the rabbis respond very interesting. They say that a person who leaves his legacy in the hands of his children, his grandchildren, his greatg grandandchildren never passes away. as that legacy continues forever. And I was so impressed with the children, the grandchildren. I didn't hear the I did hear the great grandchild. And I want you to know there's no greater sound than than the sound of a baby crying. It's beautiful. It's that there's the future of the Jewish people. And I'm sure that that is the most important thing. But when the children and the grandchildren continue the legacy of their papa, they take into their heart all the commitments that he have and they continue that in their lives. Then indeed he never passes away. You know in Hebrew, I'm not sure where he came from. I'm not sure where his family came from, but his Yiddish But his name is not a Hebrew name. His name is a Yiddish name. His name is Nut. Nut ben shalom. Shalomo. Nut means he gave. The Hebrew version is natan. But it's not only he gave, he continues to give. He continues to give by his legacy that he passed down. The love that was expressed so many times, the love of 66 years of marriage, the love of his children, his grandchildren. And it's amazing that he phoned his grandchildren on a regular basis because that is indeed an expression of love. There's a psalm, Psalm 15. Psalm 15 asked one of the most difficult questions that one can ask. It doesn't ask it in a question form. It makes a statement. But I'll paraphrase what it asks. When somebody passes away, we talk about him entering the his heavenly abode. And the psalmist wants to know how can we guarantee that? What can a person do in life that will allow them to enter their heavenly abode? He uses the words, "Who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell upon your holy mountain?" In other words, how do you guarantee that you made it? How do you guarantee that the decades that you lived were worthwhile? And it answers the question, one that walks uprightly, works righteously, and speaks truth in their heart. One who has no slander upon his tongue nor does evil to his fellow man. You know our sages answer the question a little bit differently. The Mishna in Perovot in ethics of our fathers poses a very similar question but their answer is unique. It doesn't talk about religion. It doesn't talk about Sabbath observance. Doesn't say that you put on fill in every day. It says something a little bit more important. It says, "He who is loved by his fellow man is guaranteed to be loved by God." And we look at the life of Bob and everything that was told about him, his immense love for everyone. And I want you to know if a person loves someone, it's a reflection. upon him upon him. Just as the water reflects, so does the heart of a person reflects. And if he was loving to everyone, it's a guarantee that everyone loved him. And a person who is loved by everyone, that is indeed what opens up the heavenly gates, the heavenly abode. And I have no doubt that Bob Nut Benlommo has his heavenly abode open for him. I don't know how many people here speak Yiddish. You speak Yiddish? >> You speak Yiddish? Okay. You have to say certain things in Yiddish. You can't you can't read Shakespeare in modern English. You have to read Shakespeare with a two bout then false Caesar. You have to read it correctly. You might not know what it means, but it has to be done the correct way. So I'm going to say some words in Yiddish. They're traditional words that are said. Now the expression is which means that as he enters his heavenly abode, he shall intercede on behalf of his wife, his children, his grandchildren, his greatgrandchildren, his many friends to ensure their health, their happiness and their future. But we're going to add one more request in the difficult times that we're living in the United States and the land of Israel. We ask that he intercedes on behalf of his brothers and sisters in Israel that they should have finally a peace, finally security, finally a time of sessation of violence, a time when there's true camaraderie and friendship. We ask him to beseech the Almighty to look after his brothers and sisters in Israel and his brothers and sisters in the United States. May indeed his memory be a blessing to his dear wife, his children, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. Please rise. Benoch Shalomish. Oh God full of compassion, thou who dwellest on high, grant perfect rest beneath the sheltering wings of thy presence among the holy and pure, who shine as the brightness of the firmament unto the soul of Bostin Nut Ben Schlommo who has gone unto eternity and in whose memory charity is offered by his family and friends. May his repose be in paradise. May the Lord of mercy bring him bring him under the cover of his wings. And let us soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life. May the Lord be his possession. And may his repose be in peace. Amen. >> The way I always explain this >> is people think that cutting is a sign of grief. Indeed, it is. But in biblical times, there's a Torah law that says that you're not supposed to look at your hair or cut your body. This was the Jewish approach because in other cultures, they don't believe in the world to come in. The Jewish culture we do. So therefore, the grief although it's there, it's not as dramatic. Therefore, we cut the garment rather than cutting ourselves. So those that want to say a blessing can do so. for a long >> shirt. I'll give you more. >> Do it on the bottom. >> We have to do it ourselves. >> You can do it yourself. >> I don't want to do it. >> Sure. We'll do it. >> Okay. Okay. >> Just do it from the bottom going up. Okay. >> You don't wear You don't wear it on the sand. >> I know. >> Oh, I thought it's for >> also seven days. in your in your religion you okay so we now >> rabbi is speaking >> okay we have earth from haraz from from the mount of olives so I'm going to ask the daughters to come up >> and I'm going to put some in your hand you do not Yeah. Right. >> Okay. So, the custom that we have is that we participate in the actual burial. And the way we do it is the first shovel we fold the shovel backwards upside down. And then we do the next one regular way. We do not hand the shovel to one another. We put the shovel back into the earth. This is a mitzvah for those that want to participate. For those that have conditions that would limit their participation, it is a mitzvah not to participate. So if you can't do it, please don't try to do it. Don't be a martyr. But for those that can, I would ask you to please come forward now, starting with family members that want to participate and everyone else. Go on either side upside down.