Albert Aroyo

Born in Brooklyn, NY, he attended Haaran High School. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, where he served in the European Theater during World War 2, in England, France and Germany. After returning home, he married a childhood sweetheart, Edna Fuchs and they married in 1946. They had three children and were married for 50 years, when Edna passed away in 1998.

Albert’s first business endeavor was as a milkman, he and Edna as a team. When the milk business changed in the 1960s, he worked in the used furniture business for the next decade, where he studied and learned not only about furniture but collectibles and antiques as well.

During that time, Albert and Edna were pioneers of a sort, being the first in their families to move out of the city to the newly forming suburbs of Long Island. In 1956, they purchase a three-bedroom house in Old Bethpage and participated in the nascent community. Albert is credited with giving the community newsletter its name: “The Old Beth Page.” Albert commuted into Queens and Brooklyn for work, and they watched each of their children graduate from high school, and eventually college. After their youngest graduated, they set about pursuing Albert’s dream to have his own business.

They moved to Los Angeles, California in 1978, opening up their store, Albert’s Fine Used Furniture, Antiques and Collectibles on La Cienega Blvd. in 1979. They later moved to a larger location in Los Angeles on Venice Blvd and Bagley. The recession of the 1980s led Albert to close the store, but he and Edna continued to work with collectibles and antiques at weekend antique shows and other venues as a side business. Albert continued to work with furniture at Alexander’s Stationers in Hollywood until his retirement. His interest in antiques and collectibles continued. Not surprisingly, he was a fan of “Antiques Roadshow.”

In addition to his passion for antiques and collectibles, Albert was a bowler and a card player. He bowled as a young man just out of the service and was talented enough to consider going professional. He carried an average of 200 for many years and had an array of trophies. Even as he entered his 80s, he would go bowling with friends until he could no longer carry a bowling ball. His passion then shifted to poker. In his younger days, he often played cards to pass the time with fellow commuters on the train ride from Long Island to Brooklyn. In his 80s, Albert joined the Claude Pepper Senior Center and joined their poker group. He played with fellow seniors at his home when he was no longer able to go to the center.

Albert was a Dodger fan, attending games when he could. His affection was not only for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but back when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers. He would listen to the game on the radio in his last year just as he did when he was a kid growing up in Brooklyn.

Albert Aroyo is survived by two children, Joe Aroyo and Beth Shibata, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Edna and son Mark.